Compulsory military service: The Union does not give up and demands more speed

The chancellor tried to relax. That a ministry is still neededIn the draft law of another department, it is “common, normal government action,” explained Friedrich Merz on Tuesday. Of all things, the man, who was often held up to a lack of experience, presented himself on the edge of a press conference with the Canadian Prime Minister as if he had taken a seat in the Chancellery for a short time after Helmut Kohl.

But the matter wasn’t that simple. It was not just about technical details, but about the central political question, as Foreign Minister Johann WadePhul suddenly took a management reservation against the draft of a new military service law of Defense Minister Boris Pistorius at the beginning of the week: How quickly does the conscription come if the principle of voluntary nature is not enough to make Germany ready to defend?

This seemed at least for a short time, which will now take place in the cabinet on Wednesday: the adoption of the military service law with which the Bundeswehr is to be increased in terms of personnel. In the worst case, such a reservation can lead to the cabinet coverage of a bill. As a result, the matter was also accepted at the top: if such objections are usually cleared by the state secretaries by Monday evening before a cabinet session – this time, according to the Chancellor, the Chancellor was again clarifying discussions with his ministers. Successfully.

This was the only way to avoid a fairly embarrassment. Because Merz and his ministerial team are exceptionally in the Ministry of Defense today. It would have been a bizarre session if the military service law of all people had flown by the agenda and the hosts had been snubbed. Now the government will send the draft on the way to the Bundestag, as Pistorius had presented weeks ago – even then in agreement with the Chancellor. According to information from the “Spiegel”, the internal target brands of the Ministry of Defense are 15,000 volunteers this year and 20,000 in 2026. The Bundeswehr needs a total of around 80,000 additional active soldiers to achieve NATO’s target of 260,000.

Therefore, the debate will continue. WadePhul, who rose from the Bundestag faction to the ministerial office, is still well wired among the MPs, especially among foreign and security politicians. Hence the chancellor made no secret of the fact that the reservation of the Foreign Minister came into play impatient: Merz reported that “out of the parliamentary group”, it gave the desire to anchor an automatism in the law. This should ensure that compulsory military service comes into force without further employment of the Bundestag if the necessary number of volunteers will not be reached in the coming years at certain key days.

This change has now failed for the cabinet design, but in the Bundestag the Union will surely continue to urge it. CDU foreign politician Norbert Röttgen already announced pressure for the parliamentary process: “We now have to agree specific milestones that provide a lane change from voluntary duty if it is not sufficient to achieve our goals,” he said T-Online. “The principle of hope in such an important area cannot be leading and any waiting for a further intensification of the security policy situation would be irresponsible.”

So far, such an acceleration cannot be done with the SPD. Pistorius must at least be considerate of a party congress decision that requires the parliament to use the compulsory military service exposed 14 years ago, if at all, only in a new coordination in parliament. And also that according to the will of the Social Democrats at the earliest in the next legislative period.

The defense minister emerged from the preparation of the cabinet session as the winner. Merz admitted on Wednesday that Pistorius had “rightly” pointed out “in my view” that a quick re -establishment of the compulsory military service was practically not possible. “Even if we all wanted together, we could not simply put the conscription law exposed to in 2011 back into force. The prerequisites are missing.” The barracks were missing, the trainers were missing, said Merz.

Johann WadePhul, on the other hand, is now like a foreign minister who has to be whistled back from the Chancellor. So WadePhul had already announced weeks ago that the Federal Government would become US President Donald Trump When the specification follows that NATO countries should spend five percent for armor. The five percent were ultimately decided, but in a much more flexible version. WadePhul recently excluded the Bundeswehr participation in a peacekeeping in Ukraine because it would be overwhelmed. He also had to put this announcement into perspective later.

And now the matter with compulsory military service. But the case also contains a warning to the Chancellor. The Union faction has again set a sign that it also wants to see its own claims implemented. There is a certain potential for conflict for the further negotiations on conscription.