Kühnert rejects the idea of compulsory service
The Federal Minister of Defense is considering compulsory service to counter the personnel shortage in the Bundeswehr. The ideas are not only rejected by the FDP. The SPD is also against it, says General Secretary Kühnert.
In the debate about a possible reintroduction of compulsory military service, SPD General Secretary Kevin Kühnert distances himself from the ideas of Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. "I am in favor of the Bundeswehr becoming a more attractive employer in order to be competitive on the labor market. I consider compulsory service for adults to be highly questionable, and not just from a constitutional point of view," Kühnert told the Rheinische Post newspaper.
Kühnert's party colleague Pistorius had told "Welt am Sonntag" that he was looking at other models of compulsory service, including the model practiced in Sweden. "There, all young men and women are conscripted and only a select number of them end up doing their basic military service. Whether something like this would also be conceivable here is part of these considerations," said Pistorius. Kühnert now explained that he did not see his party supporting such models.
FDP parliamentary group leader wants to strengthen the reserve
The idea has not met with approval in the FDP either. FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr told the Funke Mediengruppe newspaper: "The reintroduction of compulsory service would be a serious encroachment on the freedom of young people who want to pursue a career. Incidentally, the Bundeswehr is no longer designed for this." Instead of discussing compulsory service, the Bundeswehr itself must become more attractive, said Dürr. Above all, the equipment for soldiers must be improved quickly. "Compulsory military service is history. Instead, we should think about increasing the number of positions for reservists, for example."
The reserve could become an even stronger component of a modern and effective Bundeswehr by involving practitioners and professionals more closely. Reservists are mainly former soldiers of the Bundeswehr who have not lost their rank. The Bundeswehr estimates the number of reservists in the general reserve at around 930,000. Around 34,000 reservists belong to the commissioned reserve, meaning that they are assigned to a post and perform reservist service there.
In an interview with the "Rheinische Post" newspaper, Kühnert acknowledged the constant increase in military spending. "The political pledge is that from now on, two percent of our economic output must flow into our defense. The reality is that we will have to bear higher costs for our security in the future," said Kühnert. "We did not choose this, it is a consequence of global developments," said the SPD General Secretary.
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Source: www.ntv.de
