German government unveils bill for easier military draft
Photo: The document must be approved by the Bundestag (Getty Images)
On August 27, the German government passed a bill on so-called light conscription, which aims to increase the size of the country's army. The bill still has to pass the Bundestag, The Guardian reports.
The law leaves the door open for the resumption of conscription, which was suspended indefinitely in 2011. Germany now plans to have the largest conventional army in Europe in view of the threat posed by Russia.
The so-called lightened conscription scheme will double the number of trained reservists to 200,000. It should also encourage many volunteers to continue their military careers.
"Under the legislation, which must still pass parliament, all 18-year-old men will from next year receive a mandatory questionnaire designed to assess their fitness for and interest in military service. Women can also fill out the form but are not required to," the statement said.
However, the document may face difficulties in passing through the Bundestag. A key member of the parliamentary coalition, the conservative CDU/CSU bloc, believes that without the restoration of compulsory military service, Germany will not be able to meet its defense needs. And there is simply no time to wait for the lightened conscription scheme to prove its effectiveness.
The Social Democratic Party of Germany, the junior partner in the coalition, on the contrary, believes that it is not necessary to reinstate compulsory military service. Instead, a number of benefits for the military should be introduced to ensure an influx of volunteers into the Bundeswehr.
Germany is preparing a draft law on military service that could bring back compulsory conscription. The government wants to increase the size of the army in light of threats from Russia.
The document provides for an increase in the number of troops by approximately 180,000 to 460,000. Of these, at least 260,000 are to be active military personnel, and about 200,000 are reservists.
Back in July, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's cabinet approved a bill aimed at speeding up military planning and procurement. Earlier, Merz decided to relax constitutionally enshrined limits on public debt to allow for higher defense spending.
