Ready for war: Why we urgently need conscription again

When I was a child, my father – a pastor – counseled conscientious objectors, young people who were not prepared to serve in the military.

Unlike later, it was by no means a given back then, in the 1970s, that they would be allowed to do community service instead. Instead, they had to undergo a torturous interrogation in which they were asked questions like: “Imagine you are out in the woods with your girlfriend, a Russian comes along and wants to rape her. You happen to have a gun in your hand. What do you do?”

Whoever wanted to defend his girlfriend with a weapon had lost

Sometimes my father would talk about it at the dinner table, anonymously of course. Anyone who said that he would of course defend his girlfriend with a weapon, but not his country, was immediately defeated. But the outcome of the proceedings was always uncertain, even for my father. Some objectors were “dragged” despite all their resistance and were almost broken by military service.

Today, the situation is completely different. The danger that Russia could attack a NATO state or even Germany has become much more real again.

But until conscription was suspended, it had long been a given that anyone who wanted to could easily do civilian service instead of serving in the army.

In our minds, we are still stuck in peacetime. When Boris Pistorius talks about how we need to become “war-ready,” a shudder runs through this country. How can he use the nasty K-word? Isn’t he even provoking Russia?

This dilemma – the old new threat situation on the one hand and the Germans’ persistence in ignoring it on the other – is also reflected. When presenting it on Wednesday, the defense minister practiced a verbal balancing act. His new model is intended to be compulsory, but also voluntary. Sounds confusing? And it is.

In future, all 18-year-old men will be required to fill out a conscription form. They will then be free to decide whether to do military service. But what if there are not enough volunteers? Then we will have to “think about a compulsory option,” said Pistorius at the presentation. He did not want to elaborate on what this should look like or whether it should be included in the new regulations from the start.

Former local politician Pistorius is known for his ability to speak plainly. The FDP opposes compulsory military service. Many comrades in its own ranks are also against compulsory conscription. Even the Chancellor has spoken out publicly against it.

The fact that he is now letting Pistorius do as he pleases is also due to the fact that he has been knocking on doors everywhere in recent days, promoting his model. The emphasis was on voluntary participation.

But that’s a sham. The Bundeswehr wants to recruit at least 20,000 additional soldiers by 2031 in order to ensure a minimum level of defense capability. Experts assume that in reality many more will be needed.

Voluntary military service will not work

A mandatory conscription form may be a first step. But it cannot close the personnel gap and make the country capable of defending itself. This also requires a reform of the Bundeswehr, less bureaucracy and faster procurement.

Above all, we need a requirement that, if necessary, as many young men can be drafted as is necessary from a military perspective. And not just men, but women too. A change to the constitution on this point should be addressed as soon as possible.

But the crucial point is something else entirely. Here too, it is worth looking at Sweden. For seven years, they tried a volunteer army. It wasn’t enough. Then in 2017, conscription was reinstated, for men and women. With a strong element of voluntariness, but also the possibility of forced recruitment – if the numbers are not sufficient. That was necessary this year.

Above all, there is a general military service requirement in Sweden. This “Allmän tjänsteplikt” applies not only to all Swedes between the ages of 16 and 70, but also to all foreigners who have lived in Sweden for a longer period of time. Everyone is required to take part in exercises (of varying lengths) in order to be able to contribute to national defense in an emergency.

And Sweden is doing something else: immigrants are being specifically targeted for military service. And all material is being translated into several languages.

For peace we must prepare for war

“Si vis pacem para bellum – “If you want peace, prepare for war,” goes an old Latin proverb.

The reintroduction of conscription does not mean that everyone has to serve in the military. But the Germans must finally wake up from their dream of a Lala country that does not have to fear an attack on itself or one of its NATO partners and can, if necessary, hide behind the military power of its big brother, the USA.

We must be prepared for the possibility of war. This will not be possible without conscription.