Idea of reinstating conscription in Germany now in the spotlight

Berlin plans to beef up military but needs to address the shortage of fighting men

- Markus Ziener

BERLIN - The Bundeswehr seems to be everywhere in Germany these days - on posters, sandwich wrappers, in television advertisements and across social media.

The German military sends personalized postcards to hundreds of thousands of 16- and 17-year-olds and promises "exclusive experiences" and "up-close impressions" at open days aimed at enticing them to sign on.

Since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 in what Germany calls its Zeitenwende — a historic turning point — the military has launched a major image campaign. The reason is simple: Far too few young Germans are volunteering for service.

Apart from efforts to attract volunteers, the idea of reinstating conscription — suspended in 2011 — is now in the spotlight at a time when the German military budget is set to rise significantly in the coming years.

At its recent summit, Nato acceded to US President Donald Trump's demand that European allies vastly increase defense spending to 5 per cent of their respective gross domestic product (GDP) from the erstwhile 2 per cent expectation.

Seen as a Cold War relic at the time, Germany's conscription system was suspended in the wake of professionalization trends across Nato and a waning perception of immediate military threat, particularly from Russia.

The Bundeswehr was streamlined, and defense policy pivoted towards international missions and soft power.

Things changed, however, when Moscow annexed Crimea and occupied the Donbas in eastern Ukraine in 2014 and then unleashed a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Russia is now again a security threat, with the German military short of funds, arms and troops. Moreover, the US, with Mr Trump's appeasement approach towards Russian President Vladimir Putin, is no longer a reliable ally.

Germany has committed the funds towards beefing up its military but needs to address the shortage of fighting men.