— We should raise the age limit for reservists from 65 to 70 – Ernst tells the German service RND. – People stay physically fit longer and this is what Germany needs to take advantage of – he explains his proposal.
— We should not waste the resources of people with life and professional experience. We need to rethink our approach, emphasizes Ernst, drawing attention to the problems with finding young people to work.
As he explains in an interview with the MDR portal, the extended age of service would not apply to soldiers engaged in combat operations in infantry or tanks. It is rather about using the skills of experienced reservists, e.g. in health care, administration or command.
Big plans of the German armed forces
The initiative comes at an interesting moment for German politics. On Wednesday, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius intends to present the country's new military strategy and a plan setting out how Germany will respond to threats in the future.
There seems to be only one thing – The Bundeswehr is facing significant growth. By 2035, there will be at least 260,000 in the German army. active duty soldiers and 200,000 reservists.
— But now there's a problem. No one knows exactly how many reservists are actually available says Ernst. Although 8 to 9 million people took part in the training, only approx. 60,000 are officially designated for duty.
The Reservists Association itself has approximately 110,000 members. members. “The task of the new military records system will now be to accurately determine this number,” Ernst demands.
Dispute over the voluntary nature of service
A particularly sensitive topic in Germany is that currently reservists must participate in the exercises voluntarily. Their employers must also consent to this. Ernst wants to change that. — Employers should have no right to objectwhen reservists are to be called up for exercises, although we should not force the reservists themselves – he explains.
Ernst is convinced that the proposed changes would ultimately benefit everyone, including the economy. The president of the Bundeswehr Reservists' Association is not alone in his proposal. He was supported by, among others, CDU politician Thomas Rowekamp, chairman of the German Defense Commission, who also wants to relax the current “double voluntary principle”.
