The German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) are developing plans to significantly increase the number of reservists against the background of the armed conflict in Ukraine, the Deputy Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, Lieutenant General Andreas Hoppe said.
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“It’s impossible without a reserve. We see this in Ukraine,” Hoppe said. “We must adapt the reserve to current security policy challenges so that it can properly support the Bundeswehr in carrying out national and alliance defense missions,” he continued.
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The initial goal, according to Hoppe, is to build up the base reserve to 60,000 people: these people will be trained to carry out clear tasks and included in the planning to carry them out.
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In addition, the Bundeswehr is currently studying how many people can be drafted into the army “in case of defense.”
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“We assume that approximately 800 thousand people can be called up under martial law. In principle, this is everyone who has ever served in the Bundeswehr, retired and is of age,” Hoppe said.
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However, according to him, this number is decreasing, and the average age of such citizens is increasing – due to the abolition of military conscription in 2011.
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Universal conscription in Germany was abolished on July 1, 2011. In recent months, the idea of reintroducing conscription has been actively discussed in Germany amid rumors that Defense Minister Boris Pistorius intends to present his vision for ways to increase the size of the armed forces.
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At the end of May, it was reported that Pistorius presented his vision of the development of the Bundeswehr to the presidium of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). According to Spiegel, his concept does not imply the return of universal conscription – rather, it is about creating a system of incentives for young people to serve in the Bundeswehr. These incentives include, for example, the opportunity to obtain a free driver’s license, simplified access to educational programs and discounts on student loan repayments.
