A plan to allow non-Germans to join the German military is being considered. With the recent declaration that conscription may return and the looming possibility of a vast European army in mind, this measure, if passed, would enable the Bundeswehr to bolster its forces.
According to a German outlet, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius suggested allowing non-Germans to enroll to alleviate a severe staff shortfall.
According to the article, not only does Pistorius of the Social Democrats back the concept, but so do members of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), an opposition party, and the Free Democratic Party (FDP), one of the coalition partners.
Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, a member of the FDP and chair of the defense committee in the German parliament, recently said that she is open to the idea of recruiting soldiers from all over the world, reflecting the changing ethnic makeup of Germany. She said applicants may hail from the European Union, neutral Switzerland, and other non-EU nations like the UK. Aside from these nations, however, there remains room for expansion.
A bit more European, larger, and daring thinking is what Strack-Zimmermann urged politicians to do. According to her, they are already making progress towards the long-term objective of establishing a European force.
The member cited the tight cooperation between the German, French, and Dutch armies as evidence. Strack-Zimmermann said that this is why, in the grand scheme of things, a soldier’s country can’t matter inside this European framework if one thinks like a European.
According to reports, the German government means to prepare the Bundeswehr for war within eight years.
Germany abolished mandatory military service in 2011, but the increasing need for rearmament across Europe is making it a consideration.
Pistorius proposed that the German conscription system may be modeled after the Swedish system just before Christmas. To fortify its defenses, Germany is stockpiling a wide array of weaponry, including fighter planes, armored vehicles, rocket launchers, anti-aircraft missiles, 28,000 battle helmets, tens of millions of rounds of ammunition, 100,000 hand grenades, and more.
