Germany Marches Toward Reinstating Military Conscription, Starting With Fitness Database
Germany Marches Toward Reinstating Military Conscription, Starting With Fitness Database
Under US pressure to bolster its armed forces so as to deter supposed Russian aspirations to invade NATO countries, Germany is moving toward reinstating military conscription, with the initial steps centering questionnaires and medical exams that will feed a database detailing each young man's fitness, aptitude and willingness to serve. The plan was agreed upon by Germany's coalition government on Thursday, and now goes to parliament, where the ruling coalition has a slim majority of https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/berlins-answer-to-its-conscription-conundrum-a-massive-medical-database-5728dd42?mod=hp_listb_pos2
out of a 630 total.
If Germany reinstates conscription, holding a German passport means possibly fighting in a foreign war, while not holding a German passport means access to the welfare state.
The German government pays foreigners while contemplating sacrificing what is left of its native youth. https://t.co/a1NZ1gfd7y
— Ralph Schoellhammer (@Raphfel) https://twitter.com/Raphfel/status/1957869799494807586?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Today, the German armed forces -- the Bundeswehr -- has about 180,000 service members. The government said it was laying out https://www.dw.com/en/german-coalition-government-agrees-new-military-service-plan/a-74726370
.
Germany drafted men for military service from 1956 until 2011, when the country adopted the US model of a professional, voluntary force. Rather than abolishing conscription -- which would have required a constitutional amendment -- it was merely https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/01/world/europe/01germany.html
that year. Reinstating it would only require a simple majority of the parliament. However, unless the constitution is changed, women will remain exempt.
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For now, conscription will not be put to a vote, as the government hopes to achieve its enormous military expansion -- 44% growth in active-duty ranks -- via recruitment of willing volunteers.  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/13/germany-decides-against-conscription-to-replenish-post-cold-war-military
said Jens Spahn, parliamentary leader of the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) party. “We want to win over as many young people as possible for the service for the fatherland.” If that fails, however, "we'll need to make it obligatory," he added. Without providing details, the government has said a lottery system would be employed. The Bundeswehr will report on its recruitment efforts every six months, ready to request the reinstatement of conscription to make up any shortfalls.
A recent poll for Stern magazine found that a slim majority of Germans favored reinstating the draft. However, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gpkerdn9qo
.
German defense minister Boris Pistorius https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gpkerdn9qo
.
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Sat, 11/15/2025 - 09:55
