Should compulsory military service be reintroduced in Germany? Since the Russian attack on Ukraine two years ago, this question has been the subject of increasing public debate – and opinion seems to be increasingly moving in the direction of reintroducing it. In a recent survey by NDR, two out of three respondents are already in favor.
The results of the survey “Bundeswehr under pressure – do we need compulsory military service back?” are, as the NDR emphasizes in a recent broadcast, “not representative, but provide information about what moves northern Germans”. The data is weighted according to the statistical characteristics of school-leaving qualification, age, gender, federal state and marital status in order to eliminate distortions. 19,641 North Germans took part in the survey from February 19 to 26. Respondents consider the Bundeswehr to be poorly equipped
The Bundeswehr is not adequately prepared for an attack – 88% of respondents do not believe that the Bundeswehr has the equipment or personnel to adequately defend Germany. In contrast, two out of three respondents believe that Germany should be able to defend its borders without NATO. Even though more than half of those surveyed (55%) do not expect an attack from Russia on a NATO country in the next twelve months. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, two thirds of respondents even rate the probability of a Russian attack in the period in question as low. https://militaeraktuell.at/hubschrauberpiloten-trainieren-flugmanoever/ Most young people do not want compulsory military service
Those who are against a new compulsory military service cite the lack of equipment, accommodation and trainers as their main argument. They also argue that compulsory military service encroaches on young people’s civil liberties. These are the people who would be directly affected by compulsory military service: More than half of those surveyed under the age of 30 therefore also reject the reintroduction of compulsory military service. Only a good third of young respondents would be prepared to serve in the armed forces themselves. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, a slight majority (53%) are “definitely not” prepared to do so. If conscription is compulsory, then also for women – almost three quarters of respondents are in favor of this. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the figure is just over half (52%). Also in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, three quarters of respondents are against allowing people without a German passport to serve in the Bundeswehr [SB1] – across all northern German states, only just under two thirds are against this. In order to make the Bundeswehr more attractive, the respondents see the following tasks: Equipment must be improved (53%), soldiers must be given more recognition (43%) and the troops must distance themselves more clearly from right-wing extremism (36%).
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