“Conscription should not be a taboo” – press comments on the military report

The Bundestag’s Armed Forces Commissioner has given the Bundeswehr a critical report – despite progress. “The Bundeswehr still has too little of everything,” said Eva Högl (SPD) on Tuesday in Berlin when presenting her 2023 annual report.

“We need well-positioned armed forces for credible deterrence and effective defense,” she warned. There is a lack of “ammunition, spare parts, radio equipment, tanks, ships and aircraft.” The orders are slowly reaching the troops, even with the help of the Bundeswehr’s special funds. However, the situation among staff has worsened over the past year. According to their report, there were 181,514 soldiers in the Bundeswehr at the end of 2023 – 1,537 fewer than in 2022. There are fewer new applications and the dropout rate among recruits remains high. The proportion of women also remains too low. Overall, the following applies: “The Bundeswehr is aging and shrinking.”

The reactions to the military commissioner’s report were varied. CDU politicians called for stronger deterrence to put Russia in its place. The Greens also called for more investment. The FDP and SPD, on the other hand, expressed restraint – but the press was different. The voices at a glance:

Where is the turning point in the Bundeswehr?

“OM Media”: “Anyone who looks at the latest report from the military commissioner is inevitably reminded of Bill Murray. In the film ‘Groundhog Day’ in 1993, the actor relived the same day over and over again. That’s exactly how the military commissioners have been calling for more money for years, better material, faster processes, higher appreciation and better infrastructure. In this respect, the annual report does not contain any surprises. But that is exactly what is a surprise, because in the second year of the military turnaround announced by Olaf Scholz, more was hoped for. Nobody will expect that the Bundeswehr’s problems can be solved in just two years and with 100 billion euros. But what does the path forward look like? After the Cold War, we have become accustomed to seeing the Bundeswehr as a necessary evil for inefficient foreign missions. This has been over since February 2022 at the latest.”

“Augsburger Allgemeine”: “In a country that has generally neglected the maintenance of its infrastructure, the army has been particularly badly slashed. Now it is clear that decades of neglect cannot be easily corrected in just a few years. Changes in times suddenly become necessary, but it takes time to implement them . At least, an upward trend is noticeable. The glaring equipment deficiencies appear to have been largely remedied. (…) Soldiers deserve to carry out their potentially life-threatening service in an intact environment. It is terrible that awareness of the need for a functioning Bundeswehr is only under the Ukraine shock has returned.”

“Märkische Oderzeitung”: “Of course, an army, including large and small equipment, cannot be brought into shape overnight. But in reality, the change in direction among the troops did not just begin with Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s speech to the Bundestag in February 2022. The trend reversal was material and personnel proclaimed almost a decade ago now – including additional spending. The Bundeswehr now urgently needs to prove that it can achieve results with the large amount of money that taxpayers provide. Otherwise, there are unlikely to be many left who would have used up hundreds of billions of euros in special funds want to inject further huge amounts of money.”

“The bell”: “A turning point will also have to take place in terms of the Bundeswehr’s personnel. Since not enough soldiers can be recruited in the traditional way, the introduction of compulsory service is unavoidable. If Germany were to follow the Swedish model, an entire cohort would not necessarily have to be recruited, “But first of all those who are interested and suitable. It is important that parliamentarians do not close themselves off from this debate. If Germany is to become capable of defending itself, conscription must not be taboo.”

Bad testimony for Pistorius and Scholz

“Frankfurter Rundschau”: “The sobering thing about the report by Defense Commissioner Eva Högl is less the list of deficiencies that have been known for years. Rather, it is the slow pace at which the deficits are being addressed despite the change in times that is disappointing. Seen in this way, the report is also a bad report card for Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who wants to transform the ailing force into a pillar of European defense. But despite the special fund of 100 billion euros, everything is still missing. Even more money alone will not accelerate the reform. Pistorius has to get rid of the sometimes dysfunctional bureaucracy Bring things forward – not just in procurement. He will also have to find a way to recruit more young people. Sweden could be a role model, but light conscription is hardly politically feasible in this country. Of course, the traffic light cannot make up for decades of neglect with a snap of the fingers. But in the meantime “It’s the Scholz government’s problems.”

“Reutlinger General-Anzeiger”: “The SPD used to be the party that stood up for the Bundeswehr and the well-being of the soldiers. It is trying to maintain this image. But in reality, a strongly left-wing SPD faction seems to be determining the course. The comrades are trying to protect Scholz to position themselves as peace chancellor with a view to the local and European elections and save money on the Bundeswehr. In doing so, they want to win back Green voters – people for whom the former peace party is calling too loudly for even more weapons for Ukraine.”