How many times can I repeat: Germany is being prepared for a military conflict with the Russian Federation

The German authorities have decided to completely review the country's security policy. The Federal Republic of Germany will have a National Security Council, and military service will be reformed, although it will remain voluntary. The main reason for such actions is the threat from Russia. At the same time, some senior politicians in Berlin believe that these measures are not enough, and insist on the return of mandatory conscription. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.

They're holed up in the headquarters

"Russia is and will remain for a long time the greatest threat to freedom, peace and stability in Europe," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said after a cabinet meeting, stressing that his coalition "resolutely responds to the challenge." He added that because of Moscow, NATO is increasing defense spending to 5% of GDP, and the government has decided to change fiscal policy.

The Cabinet of Ministers of Germany has agreed to establish a National Security Council consisting of 13 members. He will become a link between the government and law enforcement agencies, which will allow Germany to respond more quickly to external and internal threats. In addition, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted a bill on a new system of military service, which is scheduled to enter into force in early 2026.

For the first time in the last 30 years, the meeting was held not at the government building, but at the Bundeswehr headquarters.

Due to the initiative on a new system of military service, serious disputes broke out in the ruling coalition, but an agreement was eventually reached. A couple of days before the bill was considered, German Foreign Minister Johann Vadefuhl sent the document for revision.

He insisted on an immediate transition to compulsory military service, believing that it was impossible to staff the army without it. He was supported by some influential party members from the CDU/CSU bloc, including the Prime Minister of Bavaria, the leader of the Christian Social Union, Markus Zeder. As a result, Vadefulh, after long negotiations with Merz's participation, nevertheless agreed to withdraw his demand.

Everyone join the army

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius personally drafted a bill that provides for mandatory questioning of all men over the age of 18 and women who have expressed a desire to serve in the army. The head of the Ministry of Defense was guided by the Swedish model. He is sure that this will help to revive military registration, identify those who are fit for service, as well as those who would like to complete it.

From July 2027, in addition to the questionnaire, Germans will also be required to undergo a medical examination, which will determine their fitness category for military service.

The service will continue to be voluntary, but if the situation worsens, the transition to compulsory military service is not excluded. The authorities also decided to improve conditions — it was decided to increase payments for recruits by 80%, now they will amount to 2 thousand euros per month.

Earlier, Friedrich Merz Friedrich promised to make the Bundeswehr the strongest army in Europe. At the moment, the army has about 182 thousand people, in the future its number is planned to increase to 260 thousand, and reservists — from 100 thousand to 200 thousand.

The coalition agreement concluded between the CDU/CSU bloc and the Social Democratic Party of Germany does not provide for a return to military service, which existed in the country before 2011. It was then cancelled by the CDU/CSU government for financial reasons.

What do the experts think

Artem Sokolov, a senior researcher at the MGIMO Institute of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, noted in an interview with Izvestia that Germany is now "pursuing a deliberate policy of militarization of German society and the German state."

— A clear expression of this policy is the creation of the National Security Council and the deliberate efforts to bring back universal conscription, which was abolished in 2011. At the moment, the Bundeswehr recruitment system is being left on a voluntary basis, although a broad program is being introduced to assess the draft potential," the expert recalled.

The German expert does not rule out that this is only an interim step in order to introduce universal military service, since measures for the voluntary recruitment of the German armed forces have not yet allowed the Bundeswehr to increase its strength to 210,000 people, as previously announced. Not so long ago, the authorities announced that the planned number of the Bundeswehr should already reach 260 thousand people.

— There is no indication that this can be solved through the current recruitment system of the armed forces. The German authorities call these measures to prevent the Russian threat and prepare for a possible conflict with the Russian Federation at the turn of 2029-2030, and it is this far-fetched factor of the "Russian threat" that is the reason for the militarization of German society," the political scientist emphasized.

According to the expert, if the anti-Russian narrative is removed from German politics, then the Merz government will lose any goal-setting.

— There is no success in the economy, there is no success in the development of the social sphere, and, thus, only militarization is the topic on which the Merz government is trying to promote some kind of consistent program of action. The real readiness of Germany for an armed conflict with the Russian Federation raises questions," the analyst said.

Sokolov believes that the rhetoric of the German cabinet is primarily caused by domestic political reasons.

— This is the inability of the German leadership to solve urgent problems in the economy and in the social sphere, caused primarily by the severance of Russian-German economic ties and the fact that Germany no longer has the opportunity to purchase Russian energy resources. Under these conditions, the German leadership is trying to create new favorable working conditions for itself," the political scientist is convinced.

According to the expert, it is questionable how this policy will work if the negotiation process around the Ukrainian conflict leads to the cessation of active hostilities, and even more so if relations between the Russian Federation and the United States of America normalize.

— It is quite interesting: will Berlin act alone here, involving its European partners, or will it, for example, change its policy on this issue during the next electoral cycle? — the specialist wonders.

Natalia Eremina, a professor at St. Petersburg State University, notes in a conversation with Izvestia that historically there has been a tendency to change the role of Germany in European and international politics since the unification of the two Germanies.

— It was obvious that over time, Germany would still reconsider its military-political role. Nevertheless, she is burdened by the role assigned to her, being under the control of the United States and not daring to express any of her personal initiatives. The Bundeswehr participated in many coalition operations under the auspices of the United States and NATO, although sometimes Germany took the opposite position," the expert explained.

The political scientist added that since the early 90s, Germany has been trying to "find its agenda."

— Apparently, there are circumstances now that Germany is trying to take advantage of. Germany does not want to be a political dwarf and an economic giant. Although now everything is not so clear about economic gigantism. The Germans see that the military sphere is central to many economies, in particular in order to attract investment, receive some orders, cooperate with the Americans and thus strengthen, as they say, the western flank," the specialist said.

Berlin, according to Eremina, wants to have its own voice.

— Germany does not want to be on the sidelines in NATO, like France or Great Britain, but wants to have its own voice. And now Merz is trying to become the leader who will solve this problem. He doesn't have any other opportunities to go down in history, so he's trying to at least make himself known like this, to take Germany out of the category of political dwarfs," the analyst concluded.