The German government is accelerating the restoration of military power to counter armed threats from Russia and Iran, but it has been tripped up at the starting point by public backlash against conscription.
On the 5th (local time), according to a compilation of major media reports including the German daily Frankfurter Rundschau and Euronews, a new provision in the Military Service Modernization Act requiring males ages 17 to 45 to obtain prior military approval for long-term stays abroad has belatedly surfaced in Germany.
Under the clause, males between 17 and 45 must apply in writing to the military authorities and receive approval in advance if they plan to leave Germany for more than three months for study, employment, or tourism. Unlike Korea, Germany does not have a high college enrollment rate, but its vocational school and apprenticeship systems are well developed. Because of this, there is considerable demand to spend a gap year after high school to find which jobs fit, or to prepare for overseas travel, language training, exchange programs, and overseas employment. In this situation, if males ages 17 to 45 are forced to obtain approval from the military authorities to stay abroad for more than three months, it could broadly affect daily life not only for young people but also for office workers preparing for long-term stays or job changes overseas.
The new Military Service Modernization Act took effect on Jan. 1 this year, but most Germans did not even know the provision existed until media reports earlier this month. After related coverage followed, concerns spread across German society that, for national security reasons, the government could restrict the constitutional rights to freedom of residence and movement and to choose one's occupation. German male students in their teens, who may be subject to future conscription, took to the streets to protest the government's defense policy. On the 90-plus-city walkout last month, more than 50,000 people took part across Germany. The Guardian, citing experts, noted, "The law also does not clearly specify what legal penalties one would face if they left the country in violation of the onerous approval rules."
As criticism mounted, the Ministry of National Defense moved quickly to contain it. The ministry said that day that the clause is necessary "because in the event of an emergency, we need to identify people who may stay abroad for an extended period." It added, "This rule has existed since the Cold War era, when the nation's survival was threatened by military danger," and emphasized that "it was a dead-letter provision that had never been enforced." The German government also sought to calm public opinion, saying, "For administrative reasons we inevitably adopted an approval format," and, "To avoid unnecessary bureaucracy, we will quickly introduce provisions to ease the related requirements."
Germany plans to increase its active-duty force from the current 180,000 to 260,000 by 2035. Adding 200,000 elite reservists available for mobilization at all times, it aims to secure a total force of 460,000. However, it has not yet reinstated compulsory conscription as it was before 2011. The German government said that if it fails to secure enough new recruits even after applying the new Military Service Modernization Act, it will seriously discuss reintroducing mandatory service with the parliament.
The younger generation, accustomed to everyday freedoms, views the new military service system that controls travel and residence as a regression that is hard to accept. Fears of conscription's return are triggering intergenerational conflict in German society. Citing experts, Euronews said, "If an actual debate on restoring conscription surfaces, youth resistance could intensify to the point of paralyzing state administration."