Germany’s Family Ministry is preparing the framework for a renewed compulsory civilian service if military conscription is reactivated. The ministry contacted 23 major welfare and social-service organisations about their ability to provide placements for conscientious objectors, with 22 saying they could do so in principle. Several welfare organisations nevertheless oppose relying on compulsory civilian labour. […]

Writing in Die Welt, Bundeswehr reserve captain and former youth officer David Matei offers a powerful argument against bringing back German conscription. “Quantity, some will think, quantity is good. Aren’t we miles away from that? And when we read reports about inadequate equipment, mustn’t we admit that we have neither quantity nor quality? Conscription changes […]

Germany’s Defense Ministry is trying to clean up a conscription-related legal mess after the Bundestag’s research service concluded that Defense Minister Boris Pistorius likely lacked the authority to suspend the rule requiring young men to get Bundeswehr approval for foreign stays longer than three months. Pistorius had issued the suspension in April after criticism of […]