A leading general said Germany needs a new military service to meet its growing defense needs.
Harald Gante, a senior lieutenant general of the German army, told the DPA in a comment released on Sunday that the country's armed forces – collectively known as the German Wehrmacht – cannot rely solely on volunteers to complete their list of tasks.
“All other tasks we have to deal with today in the Department of Homeland Security and in the field of national and alliance defense will not work without more staff – only with recruiters,” he said.
Gantt believes that Germany must be prepared to stop Russia.
He said: “There shouldn't be false fantasy. If the Russian Federation had the possibility and impression that it could restore its ancient Soviet empire through its influence, I firmly believe they would try it.”
“And there is a way to stop them, and it's a reliable deterrent,” Gantt added.
The German government is eagerly awaiting the next German government's decision on whether to reintroduce military service, which was suspended in Germany in 2011.
This year, the Army is expected to train 2,500 troops, but Gante argues that further investment is needed to strengthen the military infrastructure.
“The problem is not the trainers we have today, it is the infrastructure,” he said.
“If I had no barracks, no beds, no corporate buildings that could accommodate soldiers, then I could not recruit them first,” said the Lieutenant General.
