THE RETURN OF THE WEHRMACHT?

The mighty German Army of The Second World War grew out of a 100,000 man professional military...

The Draft Ends in Germany, but Questions of Identity Endure

NYT ^ | June 30, 2011 | Alan Cowell

"...The latest military changes have also raised broader questions that cut to the core of Germany’s enduring identity crisis: will Germany’s new force draw disproportionately on recruits from the former Communist east; will young Germans — men and women — be prepared to overcome postwar Germany’s deep aversion to militarism; and will the end of the draft create an army with fewer inhibitions about deployment alongside its NATO allies to the world’s trouble spots. West Germany introduced compulsory military service in 1957 for periods that varied between a maximum of 18 months and, toward the end, of only six months, said Lt. Col. Kai Schlolaut, a Defense Ministry spokesman. From the beginning, conscription was seen as a constitutional means of averting the militarism of the past by creating “citizens in uniform” to bind the armed forces to the rest of society. Everyone had to serve.

Indeed, Colonel Schlolaut said, some 8.4 million Germans served, either as conscripts in the Bundeswehr, as the armed forces are called, or in alternative civilian service, as helpers in old age-homes or charitable institutions.

Then last year, the former Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg unveiled plans to reform the military, cutting it from its current levels — 220,000, along with 76,000 civilian support officials — to a maximum of 185,000 in uniform supported by 55,000 civilians. “We want a more flexible, more professional armed forces,” Colonel Schlolaut said.

Germany is making the change years after its major allies have taken the same step, including the United States, which ended the draft in 1973. The draft was technically suspended as of July 1 — under German law, to abolish it would have required rewriting the Constitution. The last draftees began six months of compulsory service in January, and some left their barracks for good on Thursday..."

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