Germany is discussing the reintroduction of military service, proposing a lottery system for conscription if there are not enough volunteers. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius expressed dissatisfaction with the compromise, considering it impractical.
In Germany, the restoration of military service is being discussed. Negotiators from the CDU/CSU and SPD parties agreed on a compromise: if there are not enough volunteers for the Bundeswehr, a lottery system could be used, but the Minister of Defense is not satisfied, Spiegel reports, writes UNN.
Details
The agreement, it was reported, seemed achievable. In recent weeks, negotiators from the CDU/CSU and SPD met and agreed on a compromise that would break the deadlock around the issue of a new model of military service. The agreement was to be presented publicly this Tuesday, and a press release had already been agreed upon between the parliamentary groups, the publication writes. But, reportedly, the planned press conference was canceled that same evening.
According to Spiegel, a number of critical comments regarding the compromise were expressed at the SPD parliamentary group meeting. The corresponding draft law differs significantly from the one presented by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, and, among other things, provides for a lottery system for conscription into military service. According to participants, Pistorius indicated that he was dissatisfied with the agreement because it was too far from his project and not particularly practical.
The CDU/CSU wanted more mandatory provisions regarding new military service and specific goals for recruiting new soldiers. Therefore, the CDU and CSU blocked Defense Minister Pistorius's draft law even before it was submitted to parliament. The SPD, on the other hand, insisted that military service should remain voluntary for now. They rejected any automatic transition to a possible return to conscription.
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To solve this problem, the deputy heads of the parliamentary groups Norbert Röttgen (CDU) and Siemtje Möller (SPD), together with the two defense policy spokespersons Thomas Erndl (CSU) and Falko Droßmann (SPD), agreed on a compromise in recent weeks. It aims to combine both positions. On Tuesday, the negotiators presented the compromise internally within the parliamentary groups.
In the first phase, according to Pistorius's plan, service will remain voluntary. All 18-year-olds will be contacted and given a questionnaire that assesses their attitude towards military service, as well as information about their health, physical fitness, and training. Men are obliged to respond, while women and people of other genders can only do so.
According to information obtained by the publication, the compromise also provides that Pistorius will determine the Bundeswehr's personnel needs by 2035. In addition, the German Defense Minister will be obliged to regularly report to the Bundestag on whether the Bundeswehr is meeting its personnel recruitment goals. A semi-annual schedule is being discussed. Whether these reports will be made public or remain confidential for reasons of military security has not yet been specified. The negotiators also planned to publicly explain the details of the proposal that same evening.
The Bundeswehr is expected to grow from its current strength of approximately 183,000 active soldiers to 260,000 by the early 2030s. In addition, to reach a total strength of 460,000 soldiers, which Germany will need to have according to NATO defense planning, 200,000 reservists are required. These so-called capability targets were agreed upon by the defense ministers of the alliance's member states shortly before the NATO summit in the summer.
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If the Bundeswehr cannot secure the necessary number of volunteers, a mandatory draft will be required in the second phase, according to information obtained by the publication. However, the entire recruitment year will not be used for this purpose. Instead, according to the negotiators' proposal, a random selection from the recruitment year will be made by lottery. This number will also take into account that not all recruits are likely to be fit for service, and that not all recruits will ultimately volunteer for service.
If this still cannot meet the Bundeswehr's needs, the coalition states that conscription, which was suspended in 2011, will be reinstated in the third phase. However, not for the entire recruitment year, but currently about 300,000 young men. There will also be no automatic procedure for this. Instead, the Bundestag must pass a law according to which men selected for medical examination and found fit for military service will be conscripted into military service until the need is met. After that, conscientious objectors will be obliged to perform alternative service.
According to the compromise, the fourth stage will be the return of general military conscription if the Bundestag declares a state of tension or defense. This requires a two-thirds majority.
The first reading of the compromise bill in the Bundestag was initially planned for Thursday. Whether this will happen was not immediately clear on Tuesday evening. Further consultations between the parliamentary groups and the ministry tasked with developing recommendations for drafting amendments to the bill are likely inevitable, the publication writes. Expert hearings are also scheduled for November 10 in the Bundestag. Legal issues are likely to play an important role here.
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