Prime Minister of Bavaria and leader of the Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU), Markus Soeder, in an interview with the Bild newspaper, called for the revival of universal conscription in Germany “as soon as possible.”
⠀
“What is needed is money for the Bundeswehr, a clear organization, drones… and, of course, military service. As soon as possible. Otherwise, defense capability for a long period is not ensured,” the politician said.
⠀
As Söder emphasized, the situation has changed compared to the time when compulsory military service was abolished in Germany in 2011.
⠀
“Now we are not talking about international deployment, but about protecting the country and the alliance. For this we need a completely … different Bundeswehr,” Soeder noted.
⠀
Universal conscription in Germany was abolished on July 1, 2011. The idea of reintroducing military conscription has been actively discussed in Germany amid rumors that Defense Minister Boris Pistorius intends to present his vision on ways to increase the size of the armed forces.
⠀
However, he did not announce the introduction of universal military conscription. Instead, under Pistorius’s plan, at age 18 all German citizens, regardless of gender, would receive a letter from the Ministry of Defense inviting them to consider basic military service of six months, with the possibility of voluntary extension.
⠀
After this, men will have to complete an online survey, answering a series of questions about themselves, their family and health. Women can take the survey if they wish, and men will be held accountable for refusing to take it.
⠀
With this measure, the Minister of Defense expects to increase the number of personnel from 181 thousand to 203 thousand people, as well as recruit about 15 thousand recruits annually.