Expanding the Number of EU Member States Proposed by the Commission
In the German political landscape, a heated debate is unfolding over the Defense Service Act draft, with Norbert Röttgen, deputy faction leader in the Bundestag responsible for defense and foreign policy, leading the charge. Röttgen, a prominent figure in the Union faction, has expressed concern over the draft's lack of clear goals, timelines, and mechanisms for activating conscription.
Röttgen's primary concern is the security assessment that Russia will be combat-ready against NATO by 2029. He argues that Germany cannot afford to waste time, and the draft, in his opinion, ignores essential security policy requirements in several areas.
The Union faction has set goals for strengthening the Bundeswehr from 2022 to 2029, including clear targets and interim milestones. Röttgen proposes a systematic approach, dividing the period into twelve monthly sections each year for progressive and orderly growth. Specifically, he suggests adding 10,000 more conscript and professional soldiers each year from 2026 onwards.
One of Röttgen's key points of contention is the activation of conscription. He finds it problematic that it may only be activated in a severe military crisis and believes that activating conscription through an executive legal act only when the situation escalates is inappropriate. He also accuses Defence Minister Pistorius of only partially implementing the coalition agreement's Swedish model of military service, which includes an automatic obligation if annual targets are not met voluntarily.
Pistorius, on the other hand, focuses on voluntarism and lacks an automatic mechanism for conscription. This emphasis on voluntarism, according to Röttgen, does not provide the necessary certainty and speed in expanding the Bundeswehr to meet the challenges posed by the evolving security landscape.
Röttgen demands specific numbers and timeframes for the expansion of the Bundeswehr in the draft, and he is not alone in his criticism. The Union faction in the Bundestag is collectively criticising the draft, finding the inadequacies of the bill unacceptable.
The draft Defense Service Act is set to be approved by the cabinet on August 27. However, with the mounting criticism, it remains to be seen whether the draft will undergo significant revisions before its approval. According to Röttgen, the draft does not include NATO goals to which Germany has committed, and if targets are missed, they must react.
The introduction of conscription has been brought forward from the originally planned 2028 to July 2027. Yet, Röttgen finds this delay inexplicable, given the urgency of the security situation. The Ministry of Defense estimates that the future personnel requirement for NATO commitments is around 460,000 soldiers, including 260,000 active forces and 200,000 reservists.
As the debate over the Defense Service Act draft continues, it is clear that the Union faction, led by Norbert Röttgen, is pushing for a more robust and proactive approach to strengthening the Bundeswehr in the face of growing security challenges. Whether their concerns will be addressed remains to be seen.
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