In Germany, worried parents seek advice as conscription looms

German counselling centres for conscientious objectors say they are registering an increasing number of visits from concerned parents, as lawmakers weigh ways to expand the armed forces.

“We are currently being inundated with enquiries,” Michael Schulze von Glaßer, political director of the German Peace Society – United War Resisters (DFGVK), told the Editorial Network Germany (RND).

The number of visits to the website rose to over 125,000 in September, compared to 55,000 in August, with the proportion of parents making enquiries growing, he said.

The surge comes as Germany seeks to strengthen its armed forces amid the altered security situation in Europe as Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine rages on.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government is intent on bringing back a form of military service, which was suspended in 2011, to respond to the growing threat from Moscow and boost the German military, the Bundeswehr, in line with new NATO defence targets.

The coalition agrees that the Bundeswehr should grow significantly. There are now about 183,000 active soldiers, a number that is expected to rise to 260,000 in the coming years. The reserve force is also set to expand.

Merz has said the aim is to make the Bundeswehr the strongest conventional army in the European Union.

The declared goal remains for the military service law to come into force on January 1.

Germany’s Evangelical Working Group for Conscientious Objection and Peace (EAK) is also seeing an increase in demand, its spokesperson Dieter Junker told the RND.