No Conscription Talks for This Legislative Period, Says Defense Miersch
No discussions on compulsory military service during the current legislative session. - No compulsory military service discussions this term.
Matthias Miersch, SPD's parliamentary group leader, has made it clear that there's no discussion of conscription's return during this legislative period. He asserted, "We're sticking to voluntarism," as outlined in the coalition agreement. He further added, "If you want to talk about conscription, it's a conversation for the next legislative period, not this one."
Miersch finds the goal of 60,000 additional soldiers in the intermediate term achievable, but laments the current lack of training facilities. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) had warned that up to 60,000 additional troops in the active force are needed to hit the new NATO planning targets for enhanced defense capability.
Henning Otte, the new defense ombudsman of the Bundestag, voiced concerns about overburdening the troops, going so far as to suggest the possibility of mandatory military service again. Meanwhile, Bundeswehr Association chief André Wüstner advised the black-red coalition to pave the way for the eventual reintroduction of conscription, expressing doubts about achieving the increased NATO targets solely through voluntarism.
Thomas Röwekamp, chairman of the defense committee in the Bundestag, is in favor of introducing a general service obligation for men and women. Per this provision, service could be performed in the military, or in social or civil society sectors, thereby bolstering both the country's defense capability and social cohesion.
Matthias Miersch emphasized that the key focus should be on making the Bundeswehr an appealing choice for potential recruits. He stated, "That was impossible anyway due to the lack of equipment." Now, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has the opportunity to invest and present the Bundeswehr more attractively to young people.
As the debate over conscription continues, we'll keep you posted on any significant developments.
- Matthias Miersch
- Conscription
- Legislative Period
- SPD
- Defense
- German Armed Forces
- CDU
- Boris Pistorius
- German Parliament
- André Wüstner
- General Service Obligation
- Civil Society
- Voluntary Service
- Economy
- Historical Context
- National Security
- Civic Duty
- Matthias Miersch, SPD's parliamentary group leader, confirmed that conscription will not be discussed during this legislative period, emphasizing their commitment to voluntarism as outlined in the coalition agreement.
- The debate over the reintroduction of conscription continues, with some suggesting a General Service Obligation for both men and women, which could involve service in the military, civil society, or social sectors, for strengthening national security and civic duty.
