Coalition partner opposes German minister's forced conscription plans

Ministers from German junior coalition partner the Free Democrats (FDP) have criticized a new conscription model, including requiring young men to register for potential military service, put forward by German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius.

In a letter to Pistorius on Tuesday, Finance Minister Christian Lindner and Justice Minister Marco Buschmann, both of the FDP, welcome the debate he has initiated on increasing military service.

However, they do not consider general conscription or compulsory service to be realistic for financial, economic and legal reasons.

Instead, the two politicians are in favour of increasing the attractiveness of the military profession and a stronger role for the reserves, they write in the letter made available to dpa.

"We are united by the goal of making the Bundeswehr one of the most modern and effective armies," the letter states. "We can and will only achieve this goal with the corresponding social acceptance. In our opinion, this excludes the reintroduction of general conscription or compulsory service."

Germany effectively abolished military conscription in 2011, although the country's law continues to allow for mandatory service in the event of war or other tensions.

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has brought the German military's shortfalls into renewed focus and ignited a debate over reintroducing compulsory military service.

Pistorius presented plans for a new military service model in June designed to help fill the army's depleted ranks.