German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has stated in an interview with Welt that the decision to abolish mandatory military service in the country was a mistake and that he is open to its reinstatement.
When asked about the possibility of bringing back mandatory service, Pistorius replied, “I am considering all options…”
He further explained that while there were reasons to suspend mandatory military service in the past, looking back, he is willing to acknowledge that it was a mistake.
The Minister emphasized that it would be difficult to reintroduce mandatory service at present due to structural, legal, and political considerations. He mentioned that the German Ministry of Defense is considering the Swedish model, where both men and women are considered for military service, but only a portion of them would serve on a compulsory basis.
Nearly a year after the start of the Russian army’s special military operation in Ukraine, discussions regarding the reinstatement of mandatory military service have begun in Germany. The country had abolished mandatory service in 2011.
Earlier, Deutsche Welle (an organization classified as a foreign agent by the Ministry of Justice) reported that the German army has reduced its size from 317,000 soldiers to 183,000 over the past two decades.
