Up to now, this provision could only be reactivated in the event of a “tense situation” or in the strong probability of an “imminent attack” on Germany. It is now becoming the norm. Erasmus semester, world tour, professional expatriation… Any man aged 17 to 45 wishing to leave German territory for a period of more than three months is once again subject to an obligation to report to the army. The reintroduction of this administrative control, suspended in 2011, is causing a stir in Germany. On social networks, the most radical denounce a hindrance to freedom of movement and respect for privacy, and dare to draw parallels with the systematic surveillance of the East German regime of the GDR.
“We are being kept in the dark about something”
But many are also surprised that this paragraph of the reform has not been the subject of any public debate since January. “This gives the impression that we are being kept in the dark about conscription and that it will become mandatory,” points out a reader of the magazine Der Spiegel, in online comments. The spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense denied these rumors: since military service remains optional, the form will be automatically validated and “the authorization granted right away. We will prepare administrative regulations to make things clear.” No sanctions are planned for those who evade this obligation. The stamp on the form will not serve as a visa.
No effect
Else Engel, a Berliner who has long worked for Amnesty International, confirms: “In the humanitarian WhatsApp groups, there was a moment of perplexity this winter when we discovered this paragraph. But soon enough, we understood that it was without effect, especially because the undermanned armed forces do not have the means to manage this surplus of paperwork! For Desiree Becker, deputy of the far-left party Die Linke, “this is proof that the military service reform has been poorly thought out from the start.” The party denounces another step in the militarization of the country, on Easter weekend, traditionally marked in Germany by numerous “Peace Marches.”
If, legally, the system is quite light, it does indeed mark a psychological milestone: that of a country reminding its citizens that mobility is no longer disconnected from national defense imperatives. Ultimately, the goal is to have a database to know, in real time, where the mobilizable forces are located, as confirmed by the Ministry of Defense. “In the event of a major crisis, we cannot afford to have ghost files.” The carefree attitude of the “peace dividends” years has evaporated.
