The CDU/CSU continues to push for improvements to the draft bill by Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) for a new military service. On Monday, the Bundestag's military commissioner, Henning Otte (CDU), accused Pistorius of shying away from unpopular decisions and thus jeopardizing the necessary strengthening of the Bundeswehr's personnel. According to a report in “Die Welt,” the cabinet decision on the new regulations planned for Wednesday is now also in question.
The SPD minister's draft “fails to present a goal-oriented military service law, uncomfortable but necessary measures are being postponed ‘for now,’” Otte wrote in a guest article co-authored with Potsdam military historian Sönke Neitzel for Monday's edition of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. The two added a warning: “If our armed forces are not transformed from an administrative authority into a war-ready army, the worst could happen in an emergency because politicians hesitated and procrastinated in peacetime.”
The Union believes that the principle of voluntariness in Pistorius' conscription model does not go far enough. The Welt newspaper reported, without citing specific sources, that Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) had therefore lodged a so-called management reservation against the defense minister's proposal. This could result in the cabinet rejecting the proposal. In a meeting at the state secretary level with Chancellor's Office Chief Thorsten Frei (CDU) on Monday evening, an attempt will be made to clarify the situation, the report continued.
Currently, there are just under 183,000 soldiers in the German Armed Forces. Pistorius is aiming to increase this number to at least 260,000 soldiers, with the help of the new military service law. However, this does not mean that compulsory military service, which has been suspended in Germany since 2011, will be reintroduced; Pistorius' model is largely based on voluntary service. The Union doubts that the targeted increase in troop numbers can be achieved in this way.
In their article in the FAZ, Otte and Neitzel criticised Pistorius for sticking to announcements in his draft bill instead of “initiating the urgently needed structural reforms and giving priority to strengthening the armed forces in terms of equipment and, above all, personnel”. The draft does not meet the requirements, especially in view of the threat posed by Russia: “Some people seem to hope that it will not come to the worst,” they write. “But this is a gamble that should not be taken.”
In fact, strengthening the Bundeswehr is a “Herculean task that will require overcoming a great deal of resistance from political parties, trade unions, and even within the armed forces,” write Otte and Neitzel. “But the duty to be brave does not apply only to our soldiers. Responsible politicians must also be brave in their own way.”
Bavaria's Minister President Markus Söder (CSU) called for a return to compulsory military service. Germany is the strongest economy in Europe and must “also have the strongest army in the long term,” Söder said on Sunday evening on ARD television. “That is why I believe there is no way around compulsory military service.” He does not believe “that we will be able to cope with these appeals to make the Bundeswehr a little more attractive.”
“In my view, the current draft law on the new military service does not yet meet the current security policy challenges,” said Thomas Röwekamp (CDU), chairman of the Defense Committee, to the Rheinische Post. He has “considerable doubts” that the planned increase in personnel can be achieved. Therefore, the law must contain an “automatic mechanism for compulsory conscription” if previously set growth targets are not met.
"We are currently missing a total of more than 80,000 professional and contract soldiers and 140,000 reservists for our own defense capability and our commitments to NATO," he added.
According to Pistorius' plans, starting next year, a questionnaire will be sent to all young men and women, based on the model practiced in Sweden. Men must fill it out, while for women it is voluntary. The questionnaire will ask about interest in serving in the Bundeswehr. Suitable candidates will then be invited for a medical examination. From 2028, all 18-year-old men will be required to attend a compulsory medical examination, even if they do not opt for voluntary military service.
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