With reference to the operational readiness: Actual corona vaccination for the armed forces is coming

For men and women in the Bundeswehr, vaccination against Corona is now the rule and practically mandatory.

Berlin - Soldiers have to put up with a corona vaccination.

The Ministry of Defense has made them obligatory for the more than 180,000 men and women in the Bundeswehr.

The executive defense minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (CDU) decided and instructed this, said a ministry spokesman on Wednesday.

"A complete immunization of the soldiers is in our increased interest," emphasized the ministry spokesman.

He also emphasized that the Bundeswehr was taking the corona pandemic very seriously.

Previously, an arbitration committee - a round of three representatives each from the Ministry of Defense and the participating bodies - had made a preliminary decision in a long dispute and recommended that protection be included in the list of vaccinations subject to tolerance.

Vaccinations with the Federal Armed Forces subject to tolerance: tetanus and yellow fever

Soldiers are already obliged to have certain vaccinations administered, for example against tetanus or, in some operational areas, against yellow fever.

A refusal can be punished under disciplinary law.

"The soldier only has to tolerate medical measures against his will if they 1. serve to prevent or combat communicable diseases or 2. serve to determine his ability to serve or employ", says the Soldiers Act, Paragraph 17a.

And: “If the soldier refuses a reasonable medical measure and his ability to work or work is impaired as a result, he may be denied care.

A medical measure that is associated with a considerable risk to life or health is unreasonable. "

The principle of proportionality must be observed, especially with a view to possible side effects of the vaccination.

And if there are serious complications, there are pension claims.