As of: March 12, 2024, 11:06 a.m
By: Erkan Pehlivan
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Press
Split
The reintroduction of compulsory military service is controversially discussed in Germany.
The public's opinion on this is divided.
This is also shown by a new survey.
Berlin – The war in Ukraine is also leading to fears of war in the West.
More and more voices in Germany are therefore calling for compulsory military service to be reintroduced.
A current Forsa survey shows that around half of German citizens are currently in favor of reintroducing compulsory military service.
In the survey commissioned by
Stern,
52 percent of those surveyed advocated compulsory service in the Bundeswehr.
43 percent were against it, 5 percent expressed no opinion.
Survey on the Bundeswehr: People over 60 are most in favor of compulsory military service
According to the information, the strongest supporters of compulsory military service were in the age group over 60.
Here, 59 percent were in favor of a reintroduction.
However, among 18 to 29 year olds, 59 percent are against compulsory military service.
Details, such as the duration and structure of military service, were not asked.
In order to strengthen its defense capability, the Federal Government wants the Bundeswehr to grow significantly.
In fact, the number of soldiers will have fallen in 2023 - to 181,500 men and women.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) is currently having various models of compulsory service examined.
These include the model practiced in Sweden: All young women and men are mustered there, and a selected number are then offered military service.
Bundeswehr recruits take part in a ceremonial swearing-in ceremony.
© Dwi Anoraganingrum/Imago
Conscription was abolished in Germany in 2011
Compulsory military service was suspended in Germany in July 2011 after 55 years under the then Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg (CSU), which in practice amounted to an abolition of military and community service.
Practically all the necessary structures were dissolved at that time.
A reintroduction of compulsory military service is currently encountering resistance, especially from the FDP, but also from the SPD and the Greens.
Union wants to reintroduce compulsory military service – Söder: “Important building block”
However, other voices come from the Union.
CSU leader Markus Söder recently reiterated his call for compulsory military service to be reintroduced.
Germany is facing completely new challenges in terms of security policy.
“Our country needs 100 percent defense capability.
The reintroduction of compulsory military service is an important building block for this,” the Bavarian Prime Minister told the
Augsburger Allgemeine
on Monday (March 11) .
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Söder envisages a time frame of five to seven years for the reintroduction.
Specifically, there should then be “a reasonable basic training of at least seven months for young men”.
Colonel Ulrich Kirsch, long-time head of the Bundeswehr Association, is also clearly in favor of compulsory military service in Germany.
He knows that the reintroduction currently does not have a party political majority.
“Nevertheless, it is urgent to talk about exactly this.
“We need a broad social debate with a timely result,” he told the
Augsburger Allgemeine
.
According to his account, the Bundeswehr is currently lacking around 20,000 men or women.
(erpe/dpa)