A protracted debate within the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party regarding the reintroduction of mandatory military service appears to be nearing a resolution. According to reporting from “Welt”, the parliamentary group is currently reviewing a motion titled “Securing Germany’s Defense Capability – Reintroducing Compulsory Military Service”. The draft resolution calls on the German government to reverse the suspension of conscription, which was implemented in 2011 during peacetime.
The motion, reportedly signed by members of the party’s defense working group, has been circulated to other working groups for consultation, following standard parliamentary procedure. It is potentially slated for presentation to the Bundestag after the summer recess.
The core argument underpinning the motion centers on the Bundeswehr’s (German Armed Forces) capacity to fulfill its primary responsibility of national defense. The document asserts that the ability to significantly expand the armed forces in response to a crisis or existential threat-what it refers to as “essential growth potential”-is currently not assured.
Previously, AfD parliamentary group leader Tino Chrupalla has voiced reservations about raising the issue of mandatory military service, particularly since the onset of the war in Ukraine. Concerns were expressed regarding the timing, with Chrupalla stating in February 2023 that it was “slightly misplaced” given public anxieties about potential German involvement in conflict. While acknowledging the continued presence of the conscription proposal within the party’s foundational program, Chrupalla has also characterized the demand as potentially “irritating” to many voters within the current political discourse.