Increasing the military - Countering the shortage of personnel in the Bundeswehr: Pistorius examines Swedish conscription model
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) is having models of compulsory service examined in view of a shortage of personnel in the Bundeswehr. One of these is the model practiced in Sweden. "There, all young men and women are conscripted and only a selected number of them end up doing their basic military service. Whether something like this would also be conceivable here is part of these considerations," Pistorius told the newspaper "Welt am Sonntag". He is examining all options. "But every model, no matter which one, also needs political majorities," he said.
Compulsory military service was suspended in Germany in 2011 after 55 years. Shortly after taking office, Pistorius described this as a mistake that could not be corrected in the blink of an eye.
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) had rejected a debate on a return to compulsory military service in February. Now Pistorius said: "There were reasons to suspend compulsory military service at the time. In retrospect, however, it was a mistake." Re-introducing it now would be structurally, constitutionally and politically difficult. He is therefore looking at other models.
FDP against the reintroduction of compulsory military service
The coalition agreement between the SPD, Greens and FDP states: "The Bundeswehr must be demographically stable and balanced in the long term, also with regard to the age structure." When asked how this is to be achieved, Pistorius said: "We set up a personnel task force in August. I have now seen the first extract of its work, which involves 65 very specific proposals for recruitment, recruitment, training and entry requirements." Implementation will start at the beginning of the year, said the minister.
The minister received opposition from his coalition partner, the FDP. The FDP parliamentary group's defense policy spokesman, Alexander Müller, warned on Saturday that the reintroduction of compulsory military service would be an "enormous encroachment on civil liberties that is disproportionate to the threat to Germany ". There is no political majority for the necessary amendment to the Basic Law. "It will not be possible to force the most athletic and fittest young people into the troops and leave everyone else their professional freedom. The Bundeswehr needs motivated and well-paid men and women who do their service voluntarily and out of inner conviction," emphasized Müller. It is not the task of the state to intervene in the professional freedom of young people by "coercive measures" in order to fill gaps.
On the other hand, Johann Wadephul (CDU), deputy leader of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, was open to discussing various models. He told the "Rheinische Post" (online): "The CDU is in favor of general compulsory service, from which the Bundeswehr would benefit considerably. In principle, we are also open to discussing other models and approaches." Pistorius must finally make concrete decisions to solve the personnel problems. "Anyone calling for a Bundeswehr that is fit for war must also set the necessary course," warned Wadephul.
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- Despite the FDP's opposition, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is exploring the idea of reintroducing compulsory military service in Germany, inspired by the Swedish model.
- The FDP's defense policy spokesman, Alexander Müller, expressed concern over the potential violation of civil liberties if compulsory military service is reintroduced.
- Pistorius, however, is considering various models to address the staff shortage in the German federal armed forces, acknowledging that reintroducing compulsory service would be challenging due to structural, constitutional, and political reasons.
- In response to the need for a demographically stable and balanced Bundeswehr, Pistorius established a personnel task force in August, which presented 65 proposals for recruitment, training, and entry requirements.
- The SPD's coalition partner, the FDP, advocates for motivated and well-paid volunteers in the Bundeswehr rather than forcing young people into service through coercive measures.
- Johann Wadephul, CDU's deputy leader, supports the idea of general compulsory service but is open to discussing alternative models and approaches to address the Bundeswehr's personnel problems.
Source: www.stern.de
