Duty back? Germans demand military service for everyone!

Duty back? Germans demand military service for everyone!

Gösselsdorf, Thüringen, Deutschland - What is the future of compulsory conscription in Germany? This question is currently concerned with many citizens, and a current survey shows that three quarters of the Germans want to reintroduce conscription. According to MDR support Most of the respondents both fortune and community service for women and men. It is interesting that only 18% demand conscription exclusively for men. The approval of the Union and SPD supporters is particularly high, while the majority of the left opponents are against it.

But a simple way back to conscription, as some imagine, is considered difficult to implement. Severin Pleyer, political scientist at the University of the Bundeswehr in Hamburg, says that it has not yet been clear what goal the reintroduction should pursue: more soldiers or reservists. Since the suspension of compulsory military service in 2011, many necessary structures, such as the district military replacement offices, have been dismantled. The medical sample points have also suffered, and the condition of the barracks leaves something to be desired. In addition, there are missing trainers and the unclear image regarding the current military service, so that a quick return to military duty is considered hardly possible, such as ZDF reported.

geopolitical influences and security policy changes

This debate about compulsory military service is not least a reaction to the geopolitical changes in Europe. Since the United States was eliminated as a reliable partner of Ukraine, the discussion about the reintroduction has been disassembled. germany.de emphasizes that conscription was introduced in 1956 to increase the security in the Cold War. At that time it was necessary that adult men between 6 and 18 months do military service or alternatively do community service in the social field. The change towards a professional army was made from the conviction that a more professional group can better meet the requirements of modern warfare.

In this context, conscription is seen both as a possibility to obtain soldiers and social responsibility. However, it is also warned that reactivation may not be considered a long -term solution. Critics arguing for a focus on defensive alliances in Europe, throughout Germany the Discourse Remains Charft as proponents push for a swift return to mandatory service. The Bundeswehr is aiming for growth from around 180,000 to 200,000 soldiers by 2031, and the discussion about military service could play a crucial role in this.

The advantages and disadvantages of this intensive debate about conscription in Germany remain on the agenda, and it remains to be seen how politics will react to the clear majority among the population. If you look at the opinions of the citizens, it becomes clear that the topic has the potential to shape the security policy discourses of tomorrow.