Calls to revive forced military service have grown significantly in Berlin’s political circles. But is the thousands of 18-year-old draft answer to Germany’s defence challenges?
In early March, spokesman Florian Hahn for German Christian Democrat Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU) defense policy, called for the reintroduction of mandatory military service by the end of the year.
“We can’t just sit and watch the world around us become more uneasy,” he told German tabloid Build.
German Parliament has approved the historic one Debt fund invoice In the case of defense and infrastructure, attention is focused on conscription. But what does it look like to bring it back? And will it really solve the German defense challenges?
Why was German mandatory military service suspended?
The conscription was introduced in 1956 and remains surrounded by Article 12A of the German Basic Law.
Even after the Cold War ended and the nation was integrated, conscription was not abolished. However, since its establishment, individuals have been able to refuse military service on grounds of conscience.
The applicant must seek conscientious approval of objections in such cases and was then able to carry out alternative services for the common interest known as private service.
All men over the age of 18 were required to serve Vandeswale until former Defence Minister Karl Theodor Zu Guttenberg halted forced services in 2011.
Forced military service was stopped to reduce the size of Vandeswale from around 255,000 soldiers to 185,000. The reason at the time point pointed to a major change in the global security environment, but this did not pose any major risk.
According to the latest Bundeswehr data from May 2024, the total strength is just under 261,000 people. This includes 180,215 military personnel and 80,761 civilian employees.
However, the goal is to increase the number of troops to around 203,000 by 2031. The planned increase will be driven by a full-scale invasion of Russia’s Ukraine and a change in the European security environment outlined in the bill last December.
To achieve this goal, the reintroduction of forced military service has been considered. But while this may seem like an easy solution, it’s not that simple.
“There are both theoretical and practical answers,” explained Dr. Frank Sauer, a political scientist at Vandeswale University in Munich.
“The theoretical answer is: Yes, legally, you can revive forced military service. But in reality, it doesn’t have an effect because there’s no system to actually draft people.”
This is primarily about logistics, and as this is no longer present, it cannot be used for drafting. If mandatory military service is reintroduced, Vandeswale will not only lack personnel to train new recruits, but also barracks and district defense agencies.
“The entire infrastructure needed for this no longer exists,” Sauer noted.
Sauer does not view conscription as an easy solution and notes that it will be used to address Bundeswehr’s shortage of personnel and reach the target of 203,000 soldiers.
“We need to answer the questions. Why am I trained to use weapons or, as I was back, why are we reintroducing forced services when we are working as an emergency service for the Red Cross? What is the purpose of this? Sauer asked.
“An argument that means getting ahead”
Before reintroducing mandatory military service, according to Sauer, discussions must take place on the means to achieve the intended goal.
Currently there is no consensus or clear debate on the purpose of German conscription. Even the next potential coalition partners of the government remain divided on how or collection should be carried out.
A report from Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland reveals that the CDU and CSU political parties support the revival of forced military service in order to establish “reliable deterrent.”
In contrast, the Social Democrats (SPD) continue to support voluntary services, but proposes creating a framework for military registration and surveillance.
But beyond politics, the broader consensus in society must also reach the role mandatory military service should play. “Some people believe it will help Bandeswe grow,” says Sauer.
“Some people think it will teach young people discipline again. Some believe it will enhance civil protection and provide more personnel for blue light organizations. Still, others see it as a way to promote social cohesion.”
Mandatory military service cannot be introduced with a “fit one size” approach. Therefore, it must be adjusted differently.
It remains uncertain whether there will be a majority in Congress due to potential changes in conscription. “All we can implement now would be the same mandatory military service as before,” a political scientist told Euroneus.
Conscriptions currently apply only to men. Therefore, modernized approaches to conscription should consider the possibility of including women.
Bavarian President Marcus Söder said in an interview with ZDF that the main goal is not to focus on strengthening Bandeswale, which is gender equal, but to create something better and more effective. He also reiterated the importance of the deterrent effect that Bundeswehr should have.
“We want a Vanswale that is so strong that it’s not worth attacking us,” Saeder said. However, even with the reintroduction of forced military service, Vandeswale cannot become stronger overnight.
Sauer believes there is little interest in Bundeswehr in reintroducing conscriptions. “The military is already facing a massive staffing shortage, especially when it comes to instructors,” explains the political scientist.
“If they need to train conscriptions, the power of the experts will grow even further. In almost every conversation I had, no one said, ‘That’s a great idea, let’s take military service home.’ ”
Do you protect your country?
According to politicians like Söder and Hahn, the main purpose of forced military service was to strengthen Bundeswehr. However, a recent FORSA investigation by RTL and NTV found that only 17% of Germans are willing to acquire weapons to protect their country in the event of a military attack.
In contrast, a study by the French Ministry of Defense revealed that 51% of 18 to 25 years old are ready to fight in Ukraine if they need to protect France. Furthermore, around 62% of France’s population supports the reintroduction of forced military service, which was abolished in 1997.
A YouGov survey found that 58% of Germans are in favor of reviving conscription. However, according to Die Welt, a majority (61%) of 18-29 years old are opposed to reintroduction.
It remains unclear whether mandatory military service, surrounded by the Basic Law, will be reintroduced. The only consensus so far is that it cannot happen overnight.
