German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius plans to introduce mandatory participation of reservists in military exercises as part of efforts to expand the Bundeswehr in response to the new security situation in Europe, DPA reports, News.bg reports.
Pistorius confirmed that his department is preparing legislative changes according to which reservists will have obligations to participate in exercises even in peacetime.
He specified that military service remains voluntary, but all those who join must be aware that this also includes subsequent participation in reserve exercises.
The minister recalled that a similar practice existed in the 1990s, and emphasized that the goal is to build a more sustainable reserve of about 200,000 people, which would supplement the planned 260,000 active military personnel.
According to him, a significant part of this reserve will be formed through a new model of voluntary military service, but the system cannot rely solely on the voluntary principle.
Pistorius pointed out that the exercises must be useful for the participants, but in order to guarantee the stability of the system, mandatory participation will also be introduced.
The planned measures also include an obligation for employers to release employees to participate in reserve exercises, to a certain extent.
Germany has already introduced a program for voluntary military service in response to the war in Ukraine and NATO's new goals, with the law providing for the expansion of the armed forces through voluntary participation, and in the event of an insufficient number of candidates, a return to compulsory military service is not excluded.