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ALEMANIA Pistorius says the Bundeswehr may meet staffing needs without restoring conscription
Germany’s defense minister said current measures are producing results and linked that progress to the highest troop level in 13 years. He also announced new efforts to recruit more women and said a report on sexual misconduct in the armed forces will be presented next week.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said the Bundeswehr may be able to meet its personnel needs without bringing back compulsory military service. Speaking to newspapers of the Funke media group, in remarks cited by Der Spiegel, he said the steps included in the new military service modernization law are having an effect.
According to those comments, Germany’s armed forces currently have around 190,000 soldiers, their highest level in 13 years. Pistorius said that if this trend continues, the military should not face expansion problems and there would be no need to reopen the debate over any form of conscription.
The possibility of reinstating compulsory service had triggered protests. Addressing demonstrations by young adults, the minister said he understands the concerns of people who had never before had to consider such questions. He argued that stronger armed forces are needed for deterrence, so the country does not end up having to fight.
Pistorius also announced new efforts to bring more women into the Bundeswehr. He said the armed forces remain numerically dominated by men, although he pointed to a positive trend in applications and recruitment of women. Even so, he said the figures are still not satisfactory.
On the recent rise in offenses against sexual self-determination within the Bundeswehr, he said the goal is to prevent such incidents and to punish them firmly when they occur. Der Spiegel also reported that he referred to around 460 suspected cases last year and said he will present the results of a dark-field study on the issue next week, even if the findings are highly troubling.
Sources
About this piece. Written by El Notero with AI assistance, from reporting published by the outlet cited above. El Notero did no original reporting on this story.
