A leading figure in the German Society for Security Policy, Hans-Peter Bartels, is urging the reactivation of the military draft before the end of the year. According to an interview with the Welt newspaper, Bartels emphasized that the draft must be implemented, not just mentioned in the coalition agreement and that its reactivation should not be complicated by legal issues, as it is anchored in the German constitution.
Bartels, a former parliamentary commissioner for the armed forces, advised against linking the draft to issues of gender equality or social service, suggesting that the focus should be on the draft as it currently stands in the constitution. The Bundeswehr, he believes, needs to quickly increase its active personnel from 180,000 to 250,000 in this legislative period, as the current troop strength is necessary to fulfill the commitments made to NATO with real military forces.
Additionally, Bartels proposed an increase in the special fund for the Bundeswehr, which is currently stipulated in the constitution, by adding 400 billion euros to the existing 100 billion euros. He stated that this would be a significant signal to the world, as the security of Germany and its people would be at risk without a strong military.
Bartels also left the door open for the creation of a special fund for infrastructure, describing it as a potential stimulus package, as Germany has been experiencing a recession for three years. According to him, the country faces not only a security problem but also an economic one.