Defense Minister Pistorius sees a “mistake” in the suspension of conscription. An exclusive survey shows how Germans feel about compulsory service.
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) currently does not consider the reintroduction of conscription to be sensible. Conscription has been suspended for many years and the structure of the Bundeswehr has “changed massively,” government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said in Berlin on Friday. In this respect, the currently ongoing debate is “a bit far (…) nonsensical”. Do the Germans see it the same way?
A survey by the opinion research institute Civey for t-online showed that 57 percent of citizens consider general conscription for women and men in the Bundeswehr to be sensible. 36 percent of respondents spoke out against it. Seven percent of Germans are undecided on the question.
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Compared to previous surveys, support for general conscription has remained relatively constant. Before the outbreak of the Ukraine war, 58 percent of those surveyed in a Civey survey in early February last year were in favor of reintroducing conscription. At the time, 38 percent of citizens were against such a step.
Naval Inspector: No ghost discussion
Government spokesman Hebestreit pointed out that the Bundeswehr had “neither the necessary barracks” to accommodate recruits nor enough trainers. The conversion from the conscript army to the professional army “can’t just be undone like that,” said the Scholz spokesman. In this respect, “especially in the current phase (…) there is actually a lack of substance in such a debate”.
From the point of view of naval inspector Jan Christian Kaack, the debate about a possible return to conscription is not a ghost discussion. He had always been a supporter of conscription and was encouraged in his more than two years of work in Norway, said the Vice Admiral of the German Press Agency (dpa). “I believe that a nation, which also has to become more resilient in these times, has a better understanding when we have a mix with the soldiers.”
“You can do it differently”
In Norway, all young men and women would be screened. That’s about 70,000 a year. The armed forces then defined how many they wanted to take – that was around 15,000 a year. “Whereas we are only discussing how we should accommodate 200,000 young people. That can also be arranged differently.” In Norway nobody talks about military justice. There is a broad consensus that these young people could do something for the state once in their lives.
The debate about conscription was triggered by the new Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD). In an interview with the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” at the end of January, he described the suspension of compulsory military service in 2011 as a “mistake”. Accordingly, conscription was important, among other things, in order to have a stronger connection to the Bundeswehr in society.
Lindner speaks out against new compulsory service
FDP leader Christian Lindner had rejected any discussion about a return to conscription. “For the FDP, conscription is not at all up for debate. It’s a ghost discussion. All power must be concentrated on strengthening the Bundeswehr as a highly professional army,” Lindner said on Tuesday of the German Press Agency.
The young generation also “lost so much through the pandemic that there should be no speculation about a new compulsory service”. Lindner also referred to the shortage of skilled workers in all areas. He said: “Keeping an entire class away from education and work would cause great harm.”
“A simple yes or no fell short”
The FDP defense politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann had also pointed out the far-reaching consequences for the economy and society in the event of a return to military service. The public discussion about this question is “partly not serious,” said the chair of the Defense Committee on Tuesday. The worsening of the shortage of skilled workers is just one point.
“Basically, the end of compulsory service only applies in times of peace. In the event of tension or defense, it can be activated again,” she told the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”. A year ago she was strictly against it. Strack-Zimmermann now finds: “A simple yes or no is not enough.” She referred to the considerable effort that would be necessary when returning to military service.
