It's All About Numbers: Roewkamp on Armament and Conscription
Weapons buildup: "It's all about massive scale" (Röwekamp's take)
Let's chat about the recent discussions on ntv Early Start with Thomas Roewkamp, the big kahuna in defense affairs. The draft, baby, yeah, that could potentially make a comeback - but that's a decision for down the line, about a year from now, says Roewkamp.
Why so long, you ask? Well, the CDU dude is all about modernizing the German military first. He thinks voluntary conscription ain't gonna cut it, so we'll need to reassess personnel capacity requirements by 2029. If we fall short? You guessed it, compulsory service could be back on the table.
Now, Roewkamp reckons there's a good chance we'll see conscription during this very legislative period. Why? Well, he's cleverly crafted a legal loophole that avoids a lengthy, complicated legislative process. Presently, we're at about 180,000 soldiers in the German forces, but Roewkamp's long-term goal is closer to 260,000 to 280,000 troops.
As for the military industry, they're gonna have their hands full meeting the massive equipment needs. After the Russian attack, we purchased mainly market-ready products. But now? We need to step up our European production game, boo, so we can supply our troops with the goods they need.
It's all about quantity, baby. And capabilities, oh yeah. There's a real drone defense gap that needs fillin', and we gotta hustle to fill it.
Quick Bits:- Conscription is on the table again.- CDU supports reintroduction, while SPD is divided.- German arms industry faces challenges in meeting increased equipment demands.- Drone defense needs significant investment.
Enrichment Data (for extra nuggets of info):- Germany currently has around 182,000 personnel in the Bundeswehr, but needs roughly 60,000 more active soldiers to fulfill alliance commitments and national defense goals[1][2][3][4].- Defence Minister Boris Pistorius is working on legislation to make military service more attractive and to build a reserve force of 200,000 soldiers primarily through voluntary service[3].- The political landscape shows some division: the CDU supports reintroducing conscription, while the SPD is split, with some leaders opposing reintroduction during the current legislative period and others supporting preparatory steps[2][3][5].- Germany will have to ensure that its arms industry can rapidly scale production to supply the Bundeswehr with the necessary modern equipment and weaponry[1]. The Dutch government’s cost estimates for meeting NATO targets—€16 billion to €19 billion annually on top of existing budgets—illustrate the substantial financial burden and industrial ramp-up needed for such military expansions[1].
[1] https://www.dw.com/en/germany-to-boost-defense-spending-by-40-billion-reports/a-56094911[2] https://www.dw.com/en/germany-defense-minister-outs-details-of-new-military-service-concept/a-61622553[3] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/germany-look-hike-spending-nato-meets-2024-target-putin-warns-nato-expansion-2022-08-19/[4] https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/bundeswehr-einsatzmangel-gerade-geht-es-um-etwas-anderes-a-c4bb1a58-6f98-4790-9978-9f803b875f9e[5] https://www.dw.com/en/german-opposition-party-plans-to-block-conscription-bill/a-61637237
- In the discussions about strengthening the German military, vocational training in the context of community policy could play a crucial role in expanding the personnel capacity of the Bundeswehr, as the long-term goal is to have 260,000 to 280,000 troops, with current numbers around 182,000 and a need for an additional 60,000 soldiers to fulfill alliance commitments and national defense goals.
- The reintroduction of conscription as a potential solution for personnel capacity issues in the German military has sparked debates within the political landscape, with the CDU strongly supporting it while the SPD remains divided, raising questions about the feasibility of reintroduction during the current legislative period.
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