The prevailing coalition in Germany is fighting for the mandatory or non -mandatory military service as part of the efforts to increase the size of its army. The Conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the CentrumLinks Social Democrats (SPD) debate the form of a new draft law, the Modernization Act of Military Service, which will be presented in the cabinet on 27 August. Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the moment seems to make the argument turn, but some Christian Democrats hope for him in the fight.
Germany suspended compulsory military service in 2011. Bundeswehr is currently struggling – the armed forces of Germany – with staff shortage. A report presented in the Parliament of Germany in March showed that the Bundeswehr 21,826 is heads of its 203,000 active personnel objective. The government hopes to recruit around 5,000 extra voluntary soldiers every year, with service conditions for up to 23 months.
Christian Democrats, led by Merz, propose a more difficult law that would introduce a mandatory year of service with a potential mandatory military service in addition to civil alternatives such as hospital or school work. They are also a condition for making a parliamentary vote for introducing conscription during an emergency situation, although the law is currently obliged. They claim that if conscription is only activated in a military crisis, it becomes a “response tool instead of a deterrent”, which will be lost, so that public acceptance is lost.
Norbert Röttgen said to Welt: “If conscription is only activated in an increased military crisis, it will be a reaction tool instead of a deterrent. It would be too late, lose public acceptance and miss his real purpose. What should be conscript if the crisis is already?”
The proponent of the bill, the German Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius, has warned that Europe is being confronted with a growing threat to safety. Last year he said in an interview with a German publication, Frankfurter Rundschau: “According to the assessments of international military experts, it must be assumed that from 2029 Russia will attack a NATO state from 2029.”
The position of the SPD, as stated by his member Andreas Schwarz, is based on the principle that the Bundeswehr is a ‘parliamentary army’. This means that the decision to re -introduce the mandatory service must rest with the legislative power, not on the executive.
He said to Polo: “That is a decision that the parliament has to make. If no goals are achieved and the threat level is high, the parliament must determine the law and, if necessary, tighten the law.”
He added that they want people who really want to be in the army and claim that volunteers would rather bind to a longer service, while coercion would cause resistance.
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