Drop That Draft: No Conscription Talks for Now, Says Defense Miersch
No compulsory military service discussions during this legislative session. - No compulsory military service discussions this session.
It's a no-go for conscription chats during this legislative period, according to SPD's Matthias Miersch. During a sit-down with the "New Osnabrücker Zeitung" (NOZ), you've got yourself a definitive "no" on any conscription talks, apparently. "Our coalition agreement clearly states we're all about voluntarism," Miersch said, adding, "Talks about conscription can simmer on the back burner til next legislative pile-up, not this one."
Now, what's that you ask about additional soldiers? Miersch seems pretty certain that targets of 60,000 extra troops in the medium term aren't much of a stretch. Hold tight, cause he points out the major stumbling block is: not nearly enough sweet training facilities to house all this army potential! Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) himself had said up to 60K more grunts were crucial for new NATO planning objectives to bolster overall defense readiness.
Rwarw! The defense ombudsman of the Bundestag, Henning Otte (CDU), straight up warns against over-exerting the troops. And hey, he even muttered something about a possible return to mandatory military service - yeah, like back in the day. Musings on his part that he'll investigate, too.
The Bundeswehr Association's bigwig André Wüstner suggested that the black-red coalition already start plotting a comeback for conscription. He reasoned that, if you want those increased NATO targets met, you gotta make voluntary service all the more appealing, otherwise you're stuck with 60,000 willing newbies straight up just nowhere to be found! He's got his doubts about snagging 60K eager recruits on a purely voluntary, yeah-ya basis.
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Now that we're talking about military service, let's see how to make it more enticing, shall we? Miersch thinks the real question is: "How do we make it appealing?" The dealio: "We've got sub-par gear, anyhow. Boris Pistorius now can, like, re-vamp our image and wow kids." Sit back and see if Pompy-boy's defense minister concept for upping the troop count actually works out, mmmkay?
Mr. Thomas Röwekamp - chairman of the defense committee in the Bundestag - is all about the general service obligation. "If you're stepping out of school, current vols are near 10% who opt for service and for the Bundeswehr, less than 10K. What can I say, if you crave freedom and prosperity, you can't rely on just others," Röwekamp apparently told the "Rheinische Post."
So there you have it, my friends! Even though it's a big fat 'no' on conscription talks during our current legislative chapter, it ain't off the table for the next. Keep your eyes peeled for updates, y'hear?
- Matthias Miersch
- Conscription
- Legislative Period
- SPD
- Defense
- Bundeswehr
- CDU
- Boris Pistorius
- Bundestag
- André Wüstner
- Berlin
- Coalition Agreement
- Men
- Women
- New Osnabrücker Zeitung
- New OZ
- Henning Otte
Additional Factoids:
Government discussions on the possibility of reviving conscription in Germany are heating up. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has indicated that, while the current approach is voluntary military service, revisiting conscription would be considered if volunteer numbers fall short of the military's needs. These conversations support broader efforts to enhance the German military's capabilities, aiming to bump the number of active soldiers from 180,000 up to 200,000 by 2031.
- As discussions about reintroducing conscription in Germany heat up, Matthias Miersch, from the SPD, suggests the focus should be on making military service more appealing rather than reviving conscription immediately.
- During the current legislative period, conscription talks have been put on hold, but political parties like the SPD and CDU have not ruled out the possibility of revisiting conscription for future legislative periods, especially if volunteer numbers fall short of military needs.
