Falko Droßmann, the SPD’s defense policy spokesperson in parliament, argued that the current debate is “completely missing the real problems we’re facing.”
Rather than a return to the draft, “I firmly believe that the new military service will be designed in such an attractive way that more than enough young people will choose to sign up voluntarily,” he said.
Droßmann also warned that Germany doesn’t have the barracks, equipment or infrastructure to handle a massive influx of conscripts. “To train thousands of young people, we also need the necessary accommodations, equipment and instructors,” he said. “None of that currently exists in sufficient quantity.”
Germany suspended compulsory military service in 2011, ending a system that had shaped both the armed forces and civilian society. Since then, troop numbers — currently at around 181,500 — have fallen well short of targets. Military union leaders now warn that up to 260,000 soldiers may be needed for Germany to meet its military obligations.
“We don’t believe that relying on volunteers alone will be enough,” said Patrick Sensburg, president of the Bundeswehr Reservist Association. “Without conscription, the Bundeswehr won’t be able to recruit enough soldiers, and we also won’t have a resilient civilian population.”
