At the end of October, the Bundeswehr said it counted 181,383 soldiers in its ranks — that’s still some distance from the target of 203,000 that the German military hopes to reach by 2025. This has given rise to concern in times of Russia’s war against Ukraine, which has once again reminded Germans how quickly conflicts can erupt in Europe.

Since taking office at the beginning of 2023, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has been thinking about ways to make the Bundeswehr more attractive as a career. He said he has received 65 concrete proposals from his ministry on recruitment and reforming training methods.

  • Laura@lemmy.ml
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    7 months ago

    they can eat my shit I’m not going to a war just because some dipshits told me to do so

    and I’m also not going to join this “don’t ask why just do it” hierachy

    btw our former head of state advocated for the Iraq war so yeah fuck no

  • DrRatso@lemmy.ml
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    7 months ago

    Fuck this, I can’t stand the idea that in the 21st century you can still have involuntary servitude.

    My country recently reinstated mandatory military service. I mean obviously, how else can we get people to sign up. There is of course the idea of actually paying well and giving proper benefits to people who voluntarily sign up, but this is clearly lunacy.

    And this is the single biggest reason I am emigrating from my country before my three male offspring are 18, unless this decision is repealed in the next 5 or so years.

  • ryven@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    7 months ago

    From 1962, the GDR also introduced general compulsory military service for all men between the ages of 18 and 26 for a basic military service of 18 months. The only recognized reason for refusal was religious conviction.

    So if you believed in a god who told you it was immoral to serve in the military you didn’t have to, but if you believed it was immoral because you came to that conclusion by thinking critically about the arguments for and against military service, you were just fucked?

    • Justin@lemmy.jlh.name
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      7 months ago

      It’s pretty much the same in the US. Religion is apparently more important than any other personal belief.