A key social democratic party in the German government has outlined its stance on the military, departing from the views of its conservative coalition partners. The Social Democratic Party (SPD) plans to address the shortage of personnel in the German military by increasing the salaries of soldiers, rather than reintroducing conscription.
The SPD’s defense spokesperson, Falko Droßmann, emphasized that the military career must be made more attractive in order to achieve the troop strength demanded by the party. He believes that a significant increase in pay is necessary to achieve this goal. “Who puts their health or life at risk for this country must receive a significantly higher salary than before” Droßmann stated.
The SPD has not ruled out the possibility of reintroducing conscription in the future, but only if the number of volunteers does not meet the required standards. The party has emphasized that any measures to make the military more attractive must be implemented before considering the reintroduction of conscription. “The SPD will not agree to a significant intrusion into the life plans of young men in this country before everything has been done to make the troop more attractive, so that we do not need to force people into it” Droßmann said.
The SPD is urging its defense minister, Boris Pistorius, to take swift action to make the Bundeswehr more attractive. The party expects the conservative coalition partners to support Pistorius in his efforts, rather than constantly stirring up the debate about reintroducing conscription.