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Germany’s cabinet has approved a draft bill that would reintroduce voluntary military service. The legislation also outlines a pathway for potential conscription should troop numbers require bolstering.
This initiative is part of a broader effort to strengthen German national defense capabilities, spurred by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Compulsory military service in Germany was suspended in 2011 under the leadership of then-Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz has prioritized bolstering Germany’s military in light of perceived threats from Russia, stating, “We are now back on the path to a military service army.”
Earlier this year, he articulated his rationale: “We want to be able to defend ourselves so that we don’t have to defend ourselves.”
Germany’s strategic shift also aligns with calls from figures like former US President Donald Trump for increased European responsibility in its own defense.
Upon assuming office earlier this year, the governing coalition eased borrowing restrictions to facilitate a surge in defense spending, earmarking 3.5% of economic output for defense over the next four years.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius aims to expand the armed forces from 182,000 to 260,000 soldiers by the early 2030s to meet updated NATO force targets and bolster Germany’s defensive posture.
The defense ministry is also targeting an increase in the number of reservists to 200,000.
Under the proposed plan, all 18-year-old German citizens, regardless of gender, will receive an online questionnaire inquiring about their willingness to volunteer for military service. The questionnaire will include inquiries regarding their physical fitness.
While completion of the form will be mandatory for men, it will remain voluntary for women.
Quentin Gärtner, 18, head of the country’s Federal Pupils’ Conference, stated that his generation is willing to contribute to the defense of German democracy, emphasizing the importance of including young people’s perspectives.
“We can only do our part and take responsibility for our society when we are included in every decision-making process affecting our generation,” he told the BBC. “The ministry of defence has not reached out to us yet… He can call me any time.”
In a statement, the government affirmed that military service would remain voluntary “for as long as possible.”
However, the statement clarified that should the security situation deteriorate or volunteer numbers prove insufficient, the government, with the approval of the German parliament (Bundestag), could implement mandatory conscription.
Pistorius stated to Deutschlandfunk radio that he anticipates military service remaining voluntary.
“With attractive pay and attractive military service, I am very confident that we will succeed in attracting young men and women to the Bundeswehr,” he said.
In recent years, the defense ministry has intensified advertising campaigns and career events in an effort to recruit soldiers.
The Bundeswehr has reported a 28% increase in new recruits in the first six months of this year compared to the same period last year.
Some members of Pistorius’s Social Democrat party, the junior partner in the coalition, have voiced criticism of the plans, advocating for making the Bundeswehr a more attractive employer rather than reinstating compulsory military service.
Members of Chancellor Merz’s conservatives have cautioned that requiring Bundestag approval before reintroducing conscription could lead to excessive delays.
Some commentators have raised concerns about the wisdom of this approach for Germany.
Johannes Angermann, writing for public broadcaster MDR, argued that military service would deprive the younger generation of “time and money,” advocating instead for an improved professional army.
Meanwhile, the anti-war group Rheinmetal Entwaffnen stated in a social media post: “We want nothing to do with the wars of the ruling classes and are not prepared to die for a country that is increasingly cutting back on all social infrastructure. We will not fight your wars!”
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