Honestly, nowadays I think that conscription should be seen more like an education on how to defend yourself within the organized structures of the state, and maybe should also be implemented more in those lines. And such is necessary nowadays. I didn’t have to go and since I had my plans made I also didn’t but I have been considering to maybe look whether I can still at least learn a lite version of it. How many conscripted were forced to fight in the last decades? The first to go, and the only ones since probably the second world war (in germany), is the professional army, no conscripted is forced. Of course once we are in a true conflict to the point that the professional army isn’t sufficient anymore this starts to change, but then it would change for you regardless of whether you have trained the basics or not, and then I would prefer knowing what I do and how to do it, whether I have to or want to defend the society, friends, family etc. in an organized structure or not.
Naiive, misguided youngsters…?
Forced conscription isn’t the best way to fill the ranks and fight a war. But ironically this mandatory service actually lowers the odds of people being forcefully conscripted during an actual crisis.
Military service incentivizes people to join the military afterwards. Having a large swat of the populace receive basic military training, also helps fill the ranks faster and better in the outbreak of a war.
Both of which are the whole point imo. Those extra recruits are something Germany could really, really use badly and without a ready military there can’t be any convincing deterrence.
How about instead of forcing people into military service against their will, stop fucking over young and working class people so maybe they feel like there is actually something worth fighting for.
Maybe this is a bad take from someone with no military knowledge, but I never understand how “we need bodies for the meat grinder” so let’s do conscription is often only mandatory for men?
You’re either going to shove a gun in their hand and point them in the direction to shoot, have them run some equipment/weapon, or have them in a support role. Both men and women can do those things equally well.
Any very generalized physical differences between men and women would have minimal difference in the ability to carry out their tasks.
One claim always has been, that “typical woman” is gonna have a hard time to carry wounded “typical man” to safety. But that’s bullshit anyway, because a small guy is gonna have a hard time carrying big guy just as well, and that doesn’t save them from conscription.
Another take I heard during duty was “you serve 9 months, a woman gives her body during pregnacy for 9 months for the fatherland” 😅. Like, ok, didn’t know forced pregnancy was a common occurrence ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
Procreation. Long term it’s less worse if it’s half the men that get shot
So we aren’t equal then?
Of course not
In terms of reproductive organs: largely not
really fucking weird comments down here. people supporting forced military service. tf
It’s a demographic problem where the young feel fucked over by the old. The old are the electorate and the young always get the shit end of the stick.
They won’t afford anything ever, please pay boomers pension oh and please die for your country.
Well I guess some people know a bit of history. It’s hard to stay a free country without a military
Some of the older, really damaged boomers I’ve known in my life are pro forced military service at 18. They think it will harden the youth because either they were forced into it ir they don’t understand that their trauma damaged them, it made them compassionless, not stronger/better.
A new law introducing voluntary military service came into force in January
If they don’t have compulsory service, and voluntary service is new this year, how have they had any military at all?
No one likes conscription, but when Russia starts invading, are you going to just let the country go undefended? If you wait to sign up until the missiles start flying, it’s too late.
They are actively recruiting 18 year olds, who then can throw the recruiting letter away.
You could do voluntary serve this entire time.before that it was conscription
even 10 years ago I’d side with students as there was no imminent danger to necessitate military service. Today, however, is a different story: russia is unpredictable and war in Ukraine can spill over into the rest of Europe (just watch russian TV with calls to reduce Berlin to ashes, etc.). China is flexing it’s muscle and US on on the colony snatching spree itself. At this point Sovereignty lasts as long as you have sufficient armed forces to back it up.
If they don’t have compulsory service, and voluntary service is new this year, how have they had any military at all?
It’s certainly a weird wording. Maybe German terminology and doesn’t translate well?
From reading the article and the linked article from there it seems like the idea is to get a conscription program in place but the first conscripts will be those who willingly joined. Then with the program in place they can move to “real” conscription. Maybe?
I think people live in a fairy tale.
Or they understand the only realistic military threat they could face is a second-rate power unable to conquer its much smaller nextdoor neighbor.
That’s right Ukraine is just waving that off without a sweat
Okay let me put it like this: Germany is spending more annually on its military than Ukraine ($84 billion vs $114 billion in 2025) despite only the latter being at war. The economic and technological ability to wage war isn’t even comparable between those two countries. Now of course war is about more than just money, but in industrial warfare money does matter a lot. So does industrial capacity, which again Germany has much more of. And that’s Germany alone, not even the whole EU. In the absence of competing evidence I’m very comfortable assuming that Germany would do much better than Ukraine if attacked.
How many troops does Germany have vs Ukraine?
That is the difference between an wartime economy of generally cheaper labor (east Europe) oriented primarily to provide resources for war, greatly (although not sufficiently in my opinion) supported and backed by the European Union and a slow bureaucratic economy known to be inefficient, time wise and monetary wise, economy. We hope that the European Union keeps together. And we certainly dont want to be forced to fight a war the way like Ukraine has to. No question Europe (if it stays united and doesn’t slowly bleed states to Russia’s control) would win a conventional conflict but the questions are at what cost? I rather win such a war in weeks than months, rather in months than years, and preferably with less missiles landing in my neighborhood.
what do you mean?
That’s dumb but not unexpected. This cool “their” war evaporates first time you experience war as a victim (in most people at least) and it becomes your war as well.
You can ran of course, but for how long considering it’s going to be ww3 one way or another.
Hey man I think your toast is burning
Please go see your doctor. This kind of speech could be a sign of stroke.
Wut
