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Christian Lindner calls for a strengthened military reserve for the Bundeswehr. © Michael Kappeler/dpa
Recruiting more men and women into the Bundeswehr has proven difficult. But compulsory service is not the solution to the problem, according to the FDP leadership.
Berlin - The FDP leader and Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner does not see concerns about a general compulsory service to strengthen the Bundeswehr being dispelled. “The economic costs of a general compulsory service would be very high given the labor shortage in an aging society. “I’m also not convinced by the sampling of entire year groups, which are then not drafted at all,” Lindner told the dpa. He called for a strengthened military reserve for the Bundeswehr.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) is currently examining models of compulsory military service and has taken the practice in Scandinavian countries into account. In Sweden, entire vintages are registered and written to. A first selection for the service is then examined and tested, i.e. sampled. Only a portion of this group serves in the military.
Lindner: Strengthened reserve instead of compulsory military service
“The better alternative to compulsory military service, which is being discussed again, is a strengthened reserve. It should be possible for citizens to voluntarily commit to being regularly available to the Bundeswehr over a longer period of time in parallel to their civilian career,” demanded Lindner. This is also the way to involve experts in areas such as cyber defense that would otherwise be difficult to recruit. Lindner said: “A strengthened reserve must be so attractive through the acquisition of qualifications that employers also support a corresponding commitment.”
He pointed out that the security situation in Europe had changed. Russia's attack on Ukraine calls into question the peace order in Europe as a whole. “We need highly specialized, but also resilient, armed forces. To do this, the existing positions must be filled and the Bundeswehr’s ability to recruit reservists must be improved,” said Lindner.
Compulsory military service suspended under Guttenberg 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). In practice, this amounted to an abolition of military and community service. At the same time, practically all of the necessary structures for compulsory military service were dissolved. However, the law also stipulates that conscription for men will be revived in the event of tension and defense.
The stated goal so far has been for the Bundeswehr to grow to 203,000 soldiers by 2031 - now also against the background of the new dangers posed by Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. This number is also currently under review.
The number of soldiers has fallen despite efforts
The Bundeswehr's so-called personnel offensive has not made any progress in recent years: Despite increased efforts, the number of soldiers fell to 181,500 men and women last year (december 31, 2023). According to the Ministry of Defense, the Bundeswehr still had 183,050 soldiers at the end of 2022. The number of civilian employees fell by 400 to 81,500. There was an increase to 19,100 in men and women who did reservist service (2022: around 18,700).
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Lindner was critical of the recent discussions about military aid to Ukraine and the possibility of supplying German cruise missiles. What is needed is the message “that we defend our values, our freedom and peace in Europe with iron consistency”.
“I regret the public debate about Ukraine policy and the Taurus weapons system. Those who threaten our freedom and peace, especially (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, must never have any doubt that we have the will and ability to defend our values and our interests,” Lindner said. And: “It should never give the impression that we are retreating out of fear or weakness. It is not strength that provokes our rivals, but our weakness that would provoke them.” dpa