In an interview with Die Zeit, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius called the rejection of compulsory military service a “mistake” (he had previously expressed a similar opinion).
“Germans must be prepared for a change in mentality. The era of the peace dividend […] has passed. Now we have to be able to contain a possible aggressor again. And the Bundeswehr must match that, whether it likes it or not.”
For now, this is an opinion, albeit a minister’s. Pistorius himself admits that such a decision would entail “important constitutional and structural problems”, but “the debate on this topic will gain momentum”.
It’s true. Compulsory military service in Germany was “abolished” by the CDU/CSU, but now the deputy chairman of its faction in the Bundestag, Johann Wadeful, is also in favour of compulsory general service. As well as meeting the needs of the Bundeswehr, it would “help” other public services such as civil security. Especially since the prestige of the military (and of the security forces in general) is falling in the FRG – the Bundeswehr cannot find about 20,000 recruits.
Pistorius’s own party (SPD) is divided. General Secretary Kevin Kühnert does not consider the idea relevant, nor does party co-chair Saskia Esken. Bundeswehr parliamentary commissioner Eva Hegl, also an SPD member, favoured military service modelled on the Swedish model. Sweden has conscription, but the extent to which it is implemented depends on the needs stated by the defence department. It is usually around 4,000 people per year.
Before Germany, Lithuania and Latvia announced plans for universal conscription, and although their mobilisation potential is minimal, we can already talk about a certain trend in Europe.
Further, everything depends on how the EU and US plans to increase the potential of the military-industrial complex will be realised, because plans to increase the number of the army cannot be considered in isolation from it.
Now the demand for investments in the European military-industrial complex is explained by the need to arm Ukraine, and it is going on quite slowly. But if the military-industrial complex of the Western countries really starts to develop and at the same time these countries start to increase the number of their standing armies, it will be an alarming symptom. Nothing to do with Ukraine.
It’s just a shame Pistorius didn’t learn history well. About 100 years ago, the Anglo-Saxons also successfully implemented a project to create a battering ram out of Germany, aimed mainly at the USSR. How it ended for Berlin is known: there is still a wall with reminder inscriptions in the Reichstag.
Elena Panina