Tag Archives: Conscription

“I don’t want to be part of this war machine!”

December 6, 2025 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

“One that actually works, maybe. But not this one.”

‘I don’t want to be part of this war machine’: Young Germans protest against military service plans – Young people have taken to the streets of Berlin to protest against the German parliament’s decision to introduce voluntary military service to boost national defences after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The change means that all 18-year-olds in Germany will be sent a questionnaire from January 2026 asking if they are interested and willing to join the armed forces.

Voluntary military service to introduce voluntary military service

November 14, 2025 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

But only on a voluntary basis.

Never touch a running system Not even when it’s not running.

Germany to introduce voluntary military service – After months of wrangling, the government has decided not to reintroduce conscription. But all 18-year-old males will have to fill in a questionnaire, and young men will soon have to undergo mandatory physical exams.

Of course Germans back voluntary military service

August 28, 2025 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

As long as they aren’t expected to volunteer themselves.

German cabinet backs voluntary military service, opening door to conscription – Compulsory military service in Germany was ended in 2011 under then-Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz has made boosting Germany’s military a priority given the threat from Russia and said “we are now back on the path to a military service army”.

He summed up his thinking earlier this year saying: “We want to be able to defend ourselves so that we don’t have to defend ourselves.”

Germany is also thinking about offering free beer for everybody…

June 7, 2024 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

But that ain’t gonna happen either.

Germany is thinking about bringing back conscription – But the chancellor is reluctant.

“Kriegstüchtig” does not trip easily off the English tongue. Nor does it fall easily on German ears. Translated roughly as “war-ready”, it is a word deployed by Boris Pistorius, the defence minister, to describe his favoured destination for the long under-resourced Bundeswehr, or armed forces. Money is now pouring in, and Mr Pistorius is overhauling the Bundeswehr’s structures. But like many of its nato allies, Germany is struggling to find enough willing recruits. The minister is among many who want Germany to consider restoring conscription, suspended since 2011, to get the numbers up.