German Bundestag approved the bill of the new military service system
The German Bundestag approved on Friday a bill on a new system of military service, with a majority of deputies voting in favor of the government’s plans.
The new bill received the support of 323 MPs, while 272 MPs rejected, while one abstention was recorded.
The bill plans to provide for the mandatory military screening of young people and their re-entry in military service records.
However, this doesn’t mean that military service has become compulsory in Germany, but rather that it’s based on the principle of voluntary service, with the possibility of conscription being approved by the Bundestag.
After disagreements between the ruling coalition, which consists of the conservative Christian Alliance and the Social Democratic Party, the new bill included a clause allowing parliament to impose so-called compulsory military service “if necessary” and if it fails to increase the number of soldiers.
The new military service lasts for a minimum of six months, with a monthly salary of at least 2,600 Euros in total, as well as incentives for a longer commitment period starting at 12 months.
Starting next year, all young people born in 2008 and later will receive a personal questionnaire with questions about their personal motivations for military service.
The answer will be compulsory for men and optional for women, although the German constitution does not provide for compulsory service for women.
It provides for the reactivation of compulsory service for men if Parliament declares a state of defense or emergency.
At the end of October, there were 184,242 active soldiers in the German army, including 12,062 volunteers, marking the first increase in numbers this year, according to official figures.
However, NATO’s new goals require the German army to be 460,000 troops in crisis situations, including 260,000 active troops.
Compulsory service in Germany was suspended in 2011, 55 years after it was imposed, with the structures associated with it being dismantled.
