In a starkly divided stance, the Social Democratic Party’s (SPD) leader Lars Klingbeil’s proposal to make military service compulsory for young Germans has been met with rejection within his own party. Philipp Türmer, the chairman of the SPD’s youth organization, Juso, has spoken out against the idea, emphasizing the importance of voluntary service and the need to address the Bundeswehr’s pressing issues first.
Türmer pointed out that nearly 30 percent of recruits currently abandon their service and that the working conditions in the Bundeswehr need to be improved, with incentives offered to boost the military’s attractiveness. He believes that the reintroduction of conscription would be a step backward, as it would overly intrude into the lives of young people and its benefits are questionable. Moreover, all comparable European countries have opted for voluntary military service.
In a surprising show of support, Thomas Erndl, the defense policy spokesperson of the Christian Social Union’s (CSU) parliamentary group, has backed Klingbeil’s proposal. Erndl argued that the Bundeswehr needs to increase its active personnel to 250,000 to 260,000, as indicated by future NATO planning and that this cannot be achieved without a new form of military service that involves all young people and, in the form of a contingent military service, recruits as many as the Bundeswehr requires.
While acknowledging that the response to a voluntary call-up might be sufficient, Erndl expressed his personal doubt that enough volunteers would come forward. He emphasized the need to take a precautionary approach from a security policy perspective, preparing for the possibility of compulsory service by including the necessary provisions in the law, ensuring that the Bundeswehr always has a sufficient number of service personnel.