Conscientious objection is back in vogue

Conscription had been suspended in the Federal Republic of Germany for 15 years. As a result, there were hardly any applications for conscientious objection a few years ago. It wasn’t until 2022 that the number of applications approached the four-digit range again, reaching 951. By 2024, the Federal Office had already recorded 2,249 applications.

Now that all 18-year-olds are receiving a letter regarding “military registration” as of January 1, 2026, the numbers have risen sharply. In July alone, nearly 2,500 new applications must have come in in Cologne, according to the taz. The letter asks about willingness to perform military service in the Bundeswehr. Even though the promised pay of over €2,400 per month is roughly three times higher than an apprenticeship stipend, willingness to serve remains low.

Apparently, the threshold is so low that even people who refuse “any kind of work” in the Bundeswehr are summoned for a medical examination. These individuals — and hopefully many others — must then submit a written application for conscientious objection in accordance with Article 4 of the Basic Law (No one may be compelled to perform military service involving the use of arms against his or her conscience). The taz cites the following figures for the success rate of such an application, which must include “a tabular résumé and a comprehensive justification of the decision of conscience”:
2025: 3,879 applications, 2,830 successful,
January–July 2026: 8,302 applications, 4,995 legally recognized.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Read more https://taz.de/Wehrpflicht-in-Deutschland/!6203708/

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