Offensive strategy being employed in court case. - Proposed Pistorius measures: registration, mandatory survey, and assembling
Boris Pistorius, the Defense Minister, is aiming to restart the process of conscripting individuals, a practice that was stopped over a decade ago. He intends to collect information from young men about their willingness and ability to serve, ultimately leading to their selection for conscription. Additionally, there are plans to build more facilities to accommodate more conscripts.
This initiative is seen as a step towards potentially reintroducing conscription. Pistorius is taking practical measures within the current legislative bounds. His proposal requires extending the conscription law for young men. It is projected that 400,000 people will need to fill out the questionnaire each year, and about 25% of them might express interest. Approximately 40,000 candidates will be called up for training. Currently, the military can train 5,000 to 7,000 recruits, but this number is expected to increase. The duration of service will range from six to twelve months.
Pistorius will inform the Defense Committee of the Bundestag about his proposal in the morning, and then present it to the public at a press conference in the afternoon.
The SPD party has been advocating for voluntary service lately. For instance, their leader, Lars Klingbeil, stated, "We should try voluntary service by making the Bundeswehr more attractive." Meanwhile, the Green Party leader, Omid Nouripour, has been against conscription. The FDP has also voiced resistance, but a change of course is possible.
Under Pistorius's plan, filling out the questionnaire and being selected for conscription would be mandatory. He believes that compulsory military service should be considered even in peacetime if there are not enough volunteers to join.
Conscription was suspended in Germany in 2011 by Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg (CSU). This marked the end of both military and civilian service, and the infrastructure for conscription was mostly dismantled. The conscription law still mentions that conscription for men will continue if the Bundestag declares a tension and defense situation, but there have been no real preparations for such a situation since 2011.
The Bundeswehr has decreased in size in recent years.
Despite an attempt to improve the Bundeswehr's personnel status, it shrank to 181,500 soldiers and officers last year. Pistorius had considered models of compulsory service to address this issue. He had previously suggested that he didn't believe voluntary service would work without elements of compulsory service: "In my firm conviction, it will not work without conscription components." He often emphasized the importance of making Germany 'combat-ready' so it could deter potential enemies effectively.
Recently, Pistorius acknowledged people's fear of the term "combat readiness," which was partly his intention. "We need to make it clear through the right terms what it's about," he added. It's about being able to fight a defensive war if attacked - "preparing for the worst, so as not to be caught off guard."
A main concern surrounding reintroducing conscription is the requirement of military justice. According to the Federal Center for Political Education, there have been more conscripted men than needed for the army since the Bundeswehr's inception, which has often been perceived as unfair.
The state also knows of other compulsory services, such as jury service. Every citizen is obliged to participate as a voluntary judge. If a volunteer fire department doesn't exist, a "compulsory" fire department is set up, with municipalities obligating suitable individuals for fire service. There have been discussions of a broader compulsory service that could potentially include rescue services and disaster control. For conscription of young women, the Basic Law would need to be changed.
The chairman of the Bundeswehr Association, Colonel André Wüstner, demanded decisive steps for a new military service before Pistorius's plans surfaced. The current low number of personnel in the Bundeswehr has been a significant issue this month. Wüstner stated to the German Press Agency in Berlin, "In the coming days, it will become clear who, at least in defense policy, has had a real change of mind since the turn of the year. Because whoever claims to do so - I hope that at least the experts will not stand against a new form of service or a new type of conscription."
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