Berlin has long been wondering how to adapt the Bundeswehr to current threats. Finally, the coalition parties – the CDU/CSU and the SPD – reached an agreement. The agreement assumes that the Bundeswehr is to grow – and very quickly.
“Military service will initially be voluntary” — this is the most important sentence of the draft new law, which is to be adopted by the Budnestag in December. The key word here, however, is “initially.” If the number of volunteers is too small, the Bundestag will be able to decide to introduce a “hard” recruitment for the time needed to meet the needs. This will be possible not only in the event of a sudden crisis or war – but also if there is a lack of those who want to go “into the boots” of their own free will.
“Everyone for research”
As Jens Spahn, chairman of the CDU/CSU faction in the Bundestag, said, “everyone will be subject to testing,” or at least all men. However, it will be a long process. To start with, all 18-year-old Germans will receive a QR code. It will contain a link to a special survey with questions regarding the approach to military service, but also physical fitness. Men will have to complete the survey, called a “readiness declaration”. Women have freedom here – they can fulfill it, but they don't have to. All because the German constitution does not impose compulsory military service on women. However, the QR code survey is only a temporary solution.
The project assumes the introduction of mandatory medical examinations for all young men over 18 years of age. Mandatory tests are to start in July 2027. The Bundeswehr is to test approximately 300,000 people annually. men. It is supposed to work a bit similarly to the Polish military classification.
The German Ministry of Defense explains that only in this way will the Bundeswehr be able to obtain an image of who could be called up for service in the event of a conflict.
Armored vehicle of the Bundeswehr
|
Mateusz Madejski / Business Insider Polska
See also: I went to the German army for one day. The first shock came very quickly
The rest of the article is below the video
The Germans look at the Scandinavians
Germany suspended compulsory military conscription in 2011. However, compulsory service in this country does not have the best connotations – so the authorities in Berlin assure that they will rather be inspired by the Scandinavian model and that they do not want to return to the system that was in force in Germany a dozen or so years ago.
“Northern European countries show that the principle of voluntary service combined with the attractiveness of service works – and I expect it will be exactly the same here,” said German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
As the head of the German Ministry of National Defense added, next year the ranks of the Bundeswehr are to be strengthened by approximately 20,000. people to whom the army will pay 2.6 thousand gross euro per month (almost PLN 11,000). There are other incentives. As part of voluntary service, you will also be able to get a driving license – and doing it in a “civilian” in Germany is more and more expensive.
Currently, approximately 182,000 people serve in the Bundeswehr. soldiers, meanwhile by 2035 there will be at least 260,000 of them. The government in Berlin does not hide the fact that it aims to have as many as 460,000 active soldiers and reservists in the country. However, not everyone believes that this goal will be achieved without introducing coercion – at least at some point.
See also: Who will the army call if war breaks out? The military responds
Author: Mateusz Madejski, journalist of Business Insider Polska
