German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg has announced his desire to push forward a planned reduction in the length of conscription for German soldiers.A measure to reduce the time Bundeswehr soldiers serve from nine to six months is already scheduled to come into effect on January 1. According to statements made to German public broadcaster ARD, Guttenberg hopes to implement these changes before the end of this year.
Yes, though there is a civil service option for conscientious objectors. This is easy to get; maybe too easy. One argument against abolishing it is the fear that the hospitals, old-age homes etc have become too dependent on it.
Do they sand conscripts to Afghanistan?
I think it's voluntary, but I'm not sure.
Things started to loosen up in the 80s. After the wall came down, a country of 80m had to figure out how to wind down a total military of almost 800k to around (IIRC) 350k today. At the same time, social services had (and have!) been growing ever more dependent on cheap labor in kindergartens, senior care, etc., and the status of alternative service had risen with their increasing presence. Today, alternative service is the tail that wags the dog (social service providers are screaming this morning).
Out-of-area missions are staffed solely by career soldiers and voluntary recruits. The fact is that what we're experiencing right now is a top-down disaster. -Paul Krugman
However, I can imagine that the rise of alternative service could do quite a bit for social cohesion, especially across generations.
