German defence minister teases ‘new type’ of conscription, reiterates ‘no troops in Ukraine’

3 months ago 21

Germany’s Bundeswehr urgently needs to prepare for potential Russian attacks with a new form of conscription, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius warned on Wednesday (5 June) and doubled down on his opposition to sending ground troops to Ukraine.

“Putin’s war economy is working towards another conflict. We must be ready for war by 2029,” Pistorius told German lawmakers in the Bundestag, adding that his key focus is to put staff, equipment and funding in place.

Pistorius was asked by a lawmaker from the far-right AfD if Germany was aware of and would join alleged French plans to send troops to Ukraine for training purposes.

“The answers to your questions are no and no,” he said, echoing previous comments of his government, which had excluded such an option.

French Defence Minister Sébastien Lécornu confirmed last week that Paris was considering deploying military instructors to Ukraine to train the country’s armed forces on the ground.

Pistorius emphasised that “the French Republic has to my knowledge never [made a decision to send ground troops].”

Berlin says EU should prepare for war by end of decade

Europe could face threats from Russia by the end of the decade, and EU countries need to build up their defence industries to be prepared, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said during an interview published on Welt am Sonntag on Saturday.

Pistorius teases ‘new type’ of conscription

While Germany famously declared a ‘Zeitenwende’ regarding its defence policy after Russia’s invasion, setting up a €100 billion fund to rebuild its ailing military, the project is running into trouble on all those fronts.

With the new funds all but committed, the government is haggling over securing the near- and long-term funding for the armed forces.

They are also struggling with recruitment needed to get the army to its declared new target size of 203,000.

On Wednesday, Pistorius doubled down on his intention to reintroduce a form of conscription, saying he is “convinced that we need a new form of military service”.

Following a ministerial review, Pistorius has reportedly already presented his preferred model to his party, the centre-left SPD.

According to German media, the plans would include all 18-year-olds being asked to hand in an examination sheet, while conscripts would be recruited via incentives such as free driving licences.

Pistorius also emphasised that, contrary to media reports, a future model would not just be based on voluntary elements alone and would also not be confined to men.

[Edited by Alexandra Brzozowski/Zoran Radosavljevic]