The parties of Germany’s governing coalition agreed on Thursday on a new model of military service to strengthen the army. The goal is primarily to recruit more soldiers on a voluntary basis. However, the agreement also includes a mechanism whereby parliament can introduce compulsory military service if voluntary recruitment fails.
The parties of the German government coalition agreed on Thursday on the principles of the operation of the nationwide conscription process and the increase in the number of soldiers in the army as part of a new model of voluntary military service. If voluntary recruitment is insufficient, Parliament will be able to introduce compulsory military service, which men would join on the basis of a random selection. This was reported by the DPA agency, TASR informs.
- The coalition parties have agreed on a nationwide levy process.
- They plan to increase the number of soldiers through voluntary military service.
- Parliament can introduce compulsory service in case of insufficient recruitment.
- Selection for compulsory service would take place by random drawing.
Christian and social democrats could not come to an agreement for a long time
Both sides of the German government coalition proposed the restoration of voluntary military service in order to strengthen the ranks of the German army. However, the Christian and Social Democrats have been unable to agree for a long time on key aspects of the proposal, including what mechanisms should be applied if sufficient numbers of people do not volunteer to join the German armed forces.
The proposals of the coalition, that young men should be drawn for eligibility checks and, if necessary, later sent for compulsory military service, caused an intense discussion in Germany, writes DPA.
