Against the background of shocking images from the Ukraine war, a debate about the reintroduction of conscription flared up in Germany. A mood picture.
Berlin – The Russian attack on Ukraine* has sparked a discussion in Germany about the resumption of conscription. While the tenor in politics and the Bundeswehr has been rather negative in the past few days, a reintroduction of general conscription – in whatever form – now seems to be an option again.
In a recent survey, a relative majority of Germans spoke out in favor of reintroducing general conscription. This emerges from a survey by the opinion research institute Insa. When asked “Are you for or against the reintroduction of general conscription in Germany?”, 47 percent of respondents were in favor of a return to conscription, 34 percent opposed it and 19 percent were undecided or gave no answer.
Ukraine war fuels debate: is conscription coming back in Germany?
Compulsory military service was suspended in 2011 after 55 years under former Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg (CSU*), which practically ended military and civilian service. After Russia* launched its war of aggression in Ukraine, some politicians from the CDU* and SPD* called for a debate. Accordingly, military service and social services should be combined in the “new conscription”.
Thuringia’s Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow (Linke*) spoke out in a blog post in favor of reintroducing conscription: “In contrast to my party, I am in favor of a well-equipped Bundeswehr as well as general conscription,” he explained. However, both must be designed in a contemporary way “and the mission of the troops must be formulated so clearly that the population can unite behind their goals”.
FSJ or military service: Bundeswehr chief considers reintroduction to be “not necessary”
“First and foremost, I’m concerned with a mandatory social or community year in which everyone between the ages of 18 and 25 should do a solidary service to society,” Ramelow added, calling for a “general community year” rather than conscription , as it was until 2011. Nevertheless, he received significant opposition to his attitude. Above all, the Inspector General of the German Armed Forces, Eberhard Zorn, clearly rejects the reintroduction of conscription.
“Conscription, as we still know it, is not necessary in the current situation,” Zorn told the newspapers of the Funke media group. The tasks of the Bundeswehr have changed significantly in recent years and, for example, conscripts are completely unsuitable for cyber combat – highly qualified personnel are required for this. Zorn also made it clear that the reintroduction of conscription requires a detailed debate and should not be decided hastily as a knee-jerk reaction to the Ukraine conflict*.
The federal government has already made a U-turn and sent the Bundeswehr a multi-billion dollar financial package for modernization. Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner* (FDP)* wants to make the Bundeswehr one of the most powerful armies in Europe*. (iwe/dpa) *fr.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
List of rubrics: © Daniel Karmann/dpa
