Germany canceled conscription
Germany 1 July refused to universal military service, on the basis of which the German army was formed last 56 years. Now most political and military experts consider it a relic of the past. The reform of the Bundeswehr provides for its transformation into a professional, efficient army.
The army should be focused on solving new tasks and be able to successfully confront the challenges of modernity and tomorrow, the German Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere said.
3 January 2011 was the last time 12150 recruits joined the ranks of the Bundeswehr, who were called up without fail. But the last call was de facto half-voluntary. Those who did not want to serve could write a statement of deferment due to family circumstances, which in the present conditions is equivalent to being released from service. Previously, the failure to appear at the place of service without a good reason was considered a desertion, which was punished with 5 years of imprisonment.
Nowadays, the call has been preserved in only four of the 28 countries of NATO - in Greece, Turkey, Estonia and Norway.
In addition to professional soldiers, only volunteers will be serving in the FRG army, for which 15 thousands of places have been reserved. The duration of the voluntary service is from a year to 23 months at the choice of a soldier. In the first six months, a volunteer will receive a cash allowance of 800 euros. For the rest of the life of 1100 euro per month. For service abroad are substantial allowances. In Afghanistan, the ordinary, depending on the nature of the service, additionally receives up to 3500 euros per month, which are not taxable. Until now, ordinary soldiers and fixed-term corps received about 300 euros per month, plus 172 euros for Christmas and 690 euros for a transfer to the reserve. At the same time, for financial reasons, the number of the German army will be gradually reduced from the current 250 thousand to 185 thousand. 10 thousands of them will be specially trained to perform tasks outside of the Federal Republic of Germany and will be able to be involved in foreign missions. Currently, the number of troops contingent participating in missions abroad is approximately 7 thousand people.
Representing the concept of reforms of the Bundeswehr, Thomas de Maiziere justified its necessity also by the fact that the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany "became too immobile for decades", that much was being done in the old manner, new trends were rejected.
The largest reductions - by almost half - will affect the ground forces. It is assumed that 54 infantrymen, one artillery battalion, one airborne regiment and three tank battalion with 44 combat vehicles "Leopard-2" in each. In order to limit the exorbitant growth of public debt, the budget provides for a radical reduction in defense spending, for the needs of which in the next four years will be allocated 8 billion euros less than usual.
Largest reform in stories Bundeswehr provides for the closure of 10-15 places of deployment of military units, which threatens the 122 thousands of jobs occupied by civilian civilians - workers, employees and officials. Many eateries, hairdressers, tattoo shops, bakeries, pastry shops, and other social sector enterprises specializing in serving military soldiers will lose their jobs. The treasury of a number of cities, whose financial well-being depends on the Bundeswehr - one of the main employers in the country - will collapse, ITAR-TASS reports.
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