German Chancellor Friedrich Merz wants Germany to have the strongest army in Europe and has set aside billions of euros for this purpose. However, the Bundeswehr can’t even get ahold of its nearly one million potential reservists due to data protection regulations.
Patrick Sensburg, president of the German Reservists Association, tells Magyar Nemzet: “This is crazy. We have simply lost touch with these people,” he says, referring to the fact that the contact details of soldiers who previously served but have since been discharged are simply not available to the army.
According to Merkur, back in 2011, when Germany suspended compulsory military service, it also stopped recording any data. It is estimated that there are around 1 million former conscripts living in Germany who are under the age of 65 and could therefore be eligible for military service. However, they have no address, phone number or email address on record.
Berlin now believes that to be prepared for a Russian threat, they need more reserves. According to Carsten Breuer, the chief of staff of the Bundeswehr, 260,000 reservists are needed at a minimum, while they currently stand at just 60,000.
Even the 93,000 soldiers who served in Afghanistan cannot be reached, according to Sensburg, saying the Bundeswehr is “helpless.”
The German Ministry of Defense, led by Boris Pistorius, is examining data protection rules. “We are constantly examining how data protection rules can be harmonized with the requirements for reserve recruitment,” a ministry statement reads.
Since 2021, soldiers leaving active service will be automatically registered as reservists, but Sensburg says at least 1 million reservists would be needed for real national defense capabilities. Referring to NATO calculations, he said that in the event of a war on the Eastern Front, up to 5,000 soldiers could die every day.
“The annual volunteer quota of 5,000 is illusory. It’s a joke,” he told the paper.
“Without conscription, we cannot achieve our own goals and we will lose a war.,” he added.
In light of the Russian-Ukrainian war, many fear that Vladimir Putin could even target NATO territories within a few years. For this reason, European countries are accelerating the development of their military forces.
The restoration of compulsory conscription in the European Union has long been a cherished plan from certain politicians, the biggest advocate of which is the German Manfred Weber, president of the European People’s Party, notes Magyar Nemzet. Notably, Weber himself is unlikely to ever be conscripted or face frontline duty.
Conscription had been abolished in Germany back in 2011, but German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has set forth a Swedish-style system in which every young person turning 18 would receive a questionnaire, the completion of which would be mandatory for men and optional for women. Based on this, some would be called up for a medical examination, and those found suitable would serve for 6 to 23 months.
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