Berlin has been expanding the Bundeswehr ranks as part of EU’s continued militarization.
Germany is considering imposing fines on young men who fail to complete mandatory military questionnaires as part of a new army recruitment drive, according to a report by Der Spiegel.
Berlin has been seeking to rapidly expand the Bundeswehr as part of a broader EU military buildup, aiming to increase the number of active troops from the current 186,000 to over 260,000 by the mid-2030s. German officials have repeatedly cited an alleged Russian threat to justify the plans, something that Moscow has dismissed as “nonsense.”
Around 10,000 men who failed to complete the government’s online survey despite receiving reminder notices are now reportedly facing penalties of €250 ($294), the outlet wrote on Thursday. Officials previously warned that fines of up to €1,000 could be imposed.
The questionnaire, which asks recipients about their physical fitness, health condition and willingness to serve, was introduced earlier this year as part of a new voluntary military service program promoted by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. Under the Military Service Modernization Act, all 18-year-old German men are required to register for potential service by completing the form and undergoing a medical checkup.
The legislation also stipulates that recruits could potentially be called up via lottery should the armed forces face manpower shortages. In March, several thousand high school students took to the streets of Berlin to protest measures that could pave the way for the return of compulsory military service.
Germany abolished conscription in 2011. However, senior officials, including Pistorius, have recently suggested it could be reinstated. Last year, Pistorius claimed that Russia could attack a NATO member “as early as 2028,” insisting on the need for a costly military buildup. Chancellor Friedrich Merz has similarly stated that he aimed to turn the country’s military into the strongest conventional armed force in the EU.
Moscow has consistently denied harboring aggressive intentions towards its Western neighbors. Commenting on Germany’s continued military buildup, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned that it could lead to another tragedy on a global scale, referring to World War II.
Image credit: Touko Aikioniemi
The German elite are having a laugh surely. Their country has already been invaded by well over 5 million muslim refugees. Does anyone seriously believe that Russia would want to invade the shit hole that Merkel created by allowing the unlimited importation of these third world refugees when she was Chancellor?
There used to be a law in Deutschland that IF you didn’t register for conscription as a male, you could not get a drivers licence…!
Guess the busses, trains and trams will be packed with young men this winter and from then on!
(to the Sound of Music…)
The hills are alive, with the sound of Panzers,
Anschluss has arrived, and der Fuehrer is pleeeee-esed,
We’ll all disappear, on the Russian Front in winter,…
The rest is up to realistic imagination…unfortunately!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bqk1BjkaD4A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5BlybdjhVg
many people in Europe still live in a Rosso-phobe paradigm.
If the survey recipient isn’t willing to complete the questionnaire they’re obviously not willing to be recruited into the army.
Why the f would Russia want to invade perverted societies and failing economies?