Conscientious objections in Germany quadruple amid Russian threat, new draft law

Conscientious objection applications in Germany have surged fourfold from a year earlier as the government weighs reinstating mandatory military service, ARD and other German media reported Wednesday (local time).

According to the Federal Office for Family Affairs and Civil Society Tasks (BAFzA), 16,869 people applied for conscientious objector status between January and October this year — a figure approaching the Bundeswehr's annual recruitment target of roughly 20,000. That compares with 3,879 applications last year, a more than fourfold increase.

Germany formally abolished conscription in 2011, but constitutional provisions governing the military service obligation for adult men — and the right to refuse it — remain on the books, so objection applications have continued to be accepted.

Local media attributed the spike in applications this year to growing security concerns stemming from the Russian threat and a new military service law that leaves open the possibility of conscription regardless of individual preference.

Some analysts also pointed to deepening resistance to military service following sexual misconduct scandals within the armed forces. A survey of about 45,000 active-duty personnel by the Bundeswehr's Center for Military Social Sciences found that 72 percent of female soldiers and 31 percent of male soldiers said they had experienced verbal sexual harassment at least once in the past 12 months. Nine percent of women and 3 percent of men said they had been subjected to physical assault or unwanted contact.

Despite the rising objection numbers, the German government is pressing ahead with recruitment, aiming to expand the Bundeswehr to between 255,000 and 270,000 troops by 2035. As of last month, active personnel exceeded 190,000 — the highest level in 13 years. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said in a recent media interview that troop expansion would proceed without difficulty if current trends continued, and ruled out any immediate return to conscription.