Military service: Even CDU expert wants all young men to be drafted.
Berlin. In the debate about the new conscription model, Thomas Röwekamp, chairman of the Bundestag's Defense Committee, is advocating for the medical examination of all young men. "If we take our defense capabilities seriously, there is no way around comprehensive conscription. Only if we know what personnel potential we have available in an emergency can we strengthen our armed forces in a targeted manner," the CDU politician told the Rheinische Post.
“At the same time, we have to answer the question of how we select those from the conscripted age groups who will actually serve,” said Röwekamp. “If we want to increase our troop strength to 260,000, it’s not enough to just know who is fit for service – we also have to define the criteria for conscription.” This could be done through a transparent lottery system, a tiered fitness assessment, or defined requirement profiles that are based on the needs of the armed forces, he said.
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At the beginning of the week, Röwekamp had already endorsed a corresponding proposal by the Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, Carsten Breuer, in the "Augsburger Allgemeine." Breuer had told the RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND): "From a military perspective, it is crucial that the entire year group is examined. Only in this way do we know who is available and whom we could call upon in the event of a national emergency, which we want to prevent." Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) also wants comprehensive examinations of all young men.
The new military service law is scheduled to come into effect on January 1st, and the Bundestag has already held its first reading. Military service will initially be based on voluntary participation. During the debate on the new law, experts from the CDU/CSU and SPD proposed selecting young men for conscription by lottery and, if necessary, later for compulsory service by random selection if the number of volunteers remains too low. Röwekamp initially defended this approach as well. The coalition has not yet reached a final decision on the matter.
RND/dpa
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