Advice centers for people unwilling to do military service in Germany have seen an increase in requests in recent months, in light of the ongoing debate about potential future security guarantees for .
Chancellor ‘s Cabinet last month agreed requiring young men born after 2008 to fill out a questionnaire as of next year on whether they would potentially join the army.
Many see this as the first step towards reintroducing military service in Germany, which was suspended, but not abolished, in 2011. In an interview with the French broadcaster TF1, Merz said it had been a “mistake, from today’s point of view” to suspend military service, but added that reintroducing it was complex.
Germany’s currently has around 180,000 military personnel, but must reach 260,000 active soldiers and 200,000 reservists to meet its obligations. Through a series of new incentives, the government is hoping to recruit some 30,000 new soldiers every year until 2029. Defense Minister has already said that the new law allows the parliament new measures to bring in national service should those targets not be met.
The German Peace Society — United War Service Resisters (DFG-VK), a peace organization that offers advice for people who don’t want to fight, told the RND news network that it had had nearly 55,000 clicks on its advice pages in August this year, more than twice as many as in May. The Christian peace organization EAK also reported it had seen a 30% increase in advice requests last year.
“It’s not surprising, it’s clear that people are waking up, so to speak,” DFG-VK spokesperson Cornelia Mannewitz told DW. “And that a new military service is gradually being introduced, and since then we’ve had more interest in our organization. People are noticing that there could be a war and that they might have to join it.”
The DFG-VK, traditionally an organization that helped and advised conscientious objectors until the suspension of national service, has now begun to train new advisors, she added.
Young people want a say
Quentin Gärtner may himself receive one of the new Bundeswehr questionnaires sooner or later — and said he would join the military if needed, but he is still against the way the new law is apparently being waved through.
“If you’re making a decision that affects millions of young people in the planning of their lives, you have to let them participate in the process,” he told DW. “Everything else is arrogant and top-down and does not make young people motivated to go to war or defend their country.”
Now aged 18, Gärtner is the general secretary of the Federal School Students Council (BSK), an organization that represents young people’s interests. “Many young people are feeling insecure about having to serve in the army,” he said. “We as the BSK are not against or in favor of this duty to go to the Bundeswehr; we just argue that young people need to be part of the decision.”
Anna, who preferred not to give her real name, also thinks that young people simply don’t like the idea of leaving school and then being told what they have to do next. “I think my friends definitely don’t like the new law and see it as not a good sign about where the country is headed,” the 18-year-old told DW. “They’re against the increasing militarization and the normalization of that in society.”
A survey by pollsters YouGov released in June this year found that 54% of Germans were in favor of reintroducing military service, though there were significant generational differences: While only 35% of 18-29-year-olds were in favor, some 66% of over 70s wanted military service brought back. A survey by the Liz Mohn foundation released in early September found that a slim majority (53%) of 12-18-year-old Germans would be in favor of a national service scheme where people can choose what kind of work you want to do.
The right not to fight
German people have a constitutional right to refuse to join the armed forces. Even soldiers and reservists can refuse to fight without being dismissed from the military — though that can bring legal complications.
Up until 2011, Germany had mandatory national service for young men that included a “civilian service” option, or “Zivildienst,” which usually involved working in a hospital or care home for up to 20 months. Military service was introduced in 1956 and lasted up to 18 months (in the 1960s and 1970s) but was gradually shortened after that.
But the law requires those who do not wish to join the army to specifically opt out and invoke their constitutional right. In practice, this means that conscientious objectors must write a letter to the Bundeswehr that includes the specific sentence: “I hereby refuse to perform military service on grounds of conscience and invoke Article 4, Paragraph 3 of the .”
Then they must explain their reasons for their decision — including any political, religious, or ethical convictions that have played a part. The key is, according to the DFG-VK’s advice, to make it personal and thorough: The Bundeswehr authorities look for and reject formulaic responses that have been found on the internet or generated by AI. For reservists, often people who have previously served in the military, it can often be especially difficult to persuade the authorities that they have had a change of heart, said Mannewitz.
“Fear doesn’t count,” said Jens Lattke, a regional peace commissioner for the Protestant church, who advises people worried about having to join the military. “It must be reasons of conscience. But fear is often the main motivation, especially for parents.”
Lattke currently gets several phone calls and emails a day from such people in his capacity as an EAK advisor, especially from parents worried about their children. Most of them, he says, have already made their mind up to refuse military service should the draft come, and he often sees his role in allaying people’s fears, and helping them to square their moral convictions with their potential responsibilities. That includes asking questions like: “How were you brought up? What values have you developed? Did war experiences in your family play a role?”
Lattke said there had been a noticeable rise in interest over the last three years. “And then among the older ones, the reservists, I notice that it depends a lot on the news reports about security guarantees for Ukraine: ‘Do I have to go to Ukraine? What happens? What happens if Russia attacks the EU?’” he said.
Edited by Rina Goldenberg
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