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Germany to Abolish Draft?
EFL
German politicians have long been debating plans to abandon the draft in favor of a professional army.
A professional military works pretty well in America....
But getting rid of conscription would also entail an end to its alternative — community service.
Oops.
According to reports in the Financial Times Deutschland, this would be the first step towards a phase-out of both military and community service by 2008. A government spokeswoman declined to comment on the reports ahead of a meeting on Thursday, when the Minister for Family Affairs Renate Schmidt, is due to present her report on the future of community service. Around 90,000 young German men are registered yearly for community service, and approximately 80 percent end up working in hospitals or senior citizensâ homes doing essential work such as driving ambulances, caring for the disabled and elderly, and delivering meals.
Holding onto compulsory community service once military service is abolished would be unconstitutional in Schmidtâs view.
| Why's that? I thought the two were equivalent? If they're equivalent, then all that would be available would be the community service option. Presumably it wouldn't be a requirement for those doing a stint in the regulars... |
She says voluntary service should receive more recognition and more financial backing, perhaps from the â¬885 million a year currently spent on the community service program. German Defence Minister Peter Struck is already preparing the armed forces structurally for the post-conscription era of fewer troops and a tighter budget. Heâs reported to be planning cuts in armament projects for a projected savings of â¬26 billion.
| So they're not doing away with the conscripts in the interests of making the armed forces better? Doesn't make sense to me... |
Opposition conservative leaders have called the planned cuts a "Waterloo for the Bundeswehr." Christian Democrat defence spokesman Christian Schmidt said that the drastic savings measures will painfully reduce the armed forcesâ clout in future peace-keeping and peace-enforcing missions abroad. However, Struck said the cuts are in keeping with an overall restructuring plan for the Bundeswehr to prepare it for new strategic objectives within the NATO alliance and the planned European rapid response force.
Gotta be ready to defend France....heaven knows the French wonât do it!
Posted by: Desert Blondie 2004-01-13 |
