Response from Berlin

In a crucial interview with Sunday’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (FAS), Social Democrat Minister Boris Pistorius again states that the return of compulsory stroke to Germany should not be ruled out, but can be made possible.

Pistorius wants to see 460,000 troops in the German armed forces soon, in force and reserves, while not excluding some of them to even be called upon to serve even in Ukraine, if needed to coordinate with the international allies.

As he reports in his interview with FAS, the changes that will arise from the introduction of a renewed military service model and the activation of reserves will result in a total of about 200,000 young troops in the German Armed Forces ranks.

Landmark in 2030

It is also interesting to establish these plans against the backdrop of threats’ after 2020 and with a horizon of 2030. “According to military experts, this is the period during which Russia could attack NATO. This does not mean that Russia will do so at all. Nevertheless, the camps, the trainers, the military equipment until then must be on alert. To tell the truth: I cannot replace gaps in three years after a decade without a military service and 35 years of reducing military spending due to peace. The same is true of the production capacity of the equipment industry, “Boris Pistorius tells FAS.

As for the model of recruitment, initially the previous government under Overf Saltz was considering a hybrid model of voluntary military service in the Swedish model. Now Pistorius adds that if the number of volunteers is not sufficient to meet the needs of the German army, a regular obligation could be applied.

Already last summer, Pistorius had presented a draft for compulsory recruitment of young men after completing a questionnaire and medical examinations. A similar procedure would also be optional for young women who would like to be classified in the Bundeswehr.

The mandatory military service was abolished in 2011 on Chancellor Merkel, but exceptions still apply to times of emergency or if the country is attacked.

‘Strategic ambiguity’ for Taurus

Against the backdrop of developments in Ukraine, Pistorius states: “Putin does not want any peace” so the security situation in Germany and Europe is considered more fragile than ever. As it suggests in many parts of the interview, Kremlin and Putin have somehow target Germany, in the sense that Berlin’s movements are closely monitored by Moscow to support Ukraine, financially and militarily.

“Putin knows very well what we do for Ukraine and to what extent we will not put it down. There is a clear commitment by the new government not to retreat, ”Boris Pistorius said without giving specific numbers about the size of Ukraine’s aid from the new government, before budget debates begin.

Answering a question about the Taurus missile mission to Ukraine, he categorically excludes a “nein” such possibility, to add that Germany is still considering the mission “Long Range Fires” (large rockets). Asked if this answer falls under the new “strategic ambiguity” followed by the Mertz government on equipment systems, Boris Pistorius replies that “we will not let Russia know what we can send and what we will send tomorrow.”

German soldiers in Ukraine? Conditional

As for a possible involvement of the Bundeswehr, that is, the German army, in a mission to Ukraine as a “security guarantee” after a possible ceasefire, the German defense minister clarifies that this requires a decision of the German Parliament and could only be done by a “collective”

“There are no corresponding initiatives so far,” he says characteristically, without excluding this as a next step. “But the negotiation must first be carried out on how a permanent ceasefire could be ensured,” Boris Pistorius notes, adding: “It is not the right time for such an order by the UN or for a corresponding business. We and our allies in the ‘coalition of the wills’ and the ‘team of five’ are thinking about it, but for the time being we are not explicitly discussing peace troops. “

To the FAS question about whether a mission of “German soldiers in Ukrainian territories” is excluded as follows: “No, I didn’t say that. I cannot even say that because the conditions for such a business are completely unknown (…) without an order for international collective defense, the development of German soldiers can occur there. When it becomes clear, who and under what command should ensure what, we decide what task we can undertake. “