Uproar in Germany over law requiring men get military approval for long stays abroad | Germany
The little-noticed provision for sweeping changes to Germany’s military service policy caused uproar after it was revealed that the law requires men up to the age of 45 to obtain permission from the armed forces before a significant stay abroad, even in peacetime.
The law, which took effect on January 1, aims to strengthen the military and requires all men aged 18 to fill out a questionnaire to gauge their suitability to serve in the armed forces, but falls short of mandatory military service.
Defense minister Boris Pistorius said as the bill passed the lower house of the Bundestag in December that parliament would have to debate the reintroduction of compulsory service if the “modernised” model could not attract enough troops.
The small print, which was largely overlooked until a media report this week pointed it out, says men aged 17 to 45 must apply for permission to leave Germany for more than three months.
This clause could potentially affect millions of German citizens starting anything from a gap year or study abroad to a new job or paid leave.
Changes to military service policy are currently street protests by school students subject to the new requirements of the law.
The defense ministry confirmed the requirement, which was first reported by the United States. Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper.
A ministry spokesman said the new legislation was designed to create a framework for conscription where necessary and required the whereabouts of potential recruits to be known in case of urgent need.
“According to the text of the law, men aged 17 and over must obtain prior approval from the relevant Bundeswehr career center for their stay abroad for more than three months,” they said. The law states that the obligation ends at the age of 45.
The policy requires permission to stay abroad for extended periods even outside of times of crisis, reviving a decades-old rule. But the ministry said this was largely fruitless for the men in question.
“The regulation was already in place during the Cold War and had no practical significance; in particular, it is not subject to sanctions,” the spokesman said.
The ministry did not say how many people requested leave this year.
The spokesman said approval for periods abroad would be routine as long as conscription is not in effect and Germany is not facing a security emergency.
“We will clarify through administrative regulations that military service will be deemed to be permitted if it is voluntary,” said the officials, adding, “According to the current law, since military service is based only on voluntary participation, such permissions should be given in principle.”
The spokesman said exceptions could be made to the authorization requirement “partly to avoid unnecessary bureaucracy”.
However, it remained unclear what procedure men would need to use to obtain leave before the eased regulations came into force, or how long it would take.
The policy aims to find enough volunteers to swell the army’s ranks to 460,000 by 2035, comprising 260,000 active soldiers and 200,000 reservists. There are 182,000 active soldiers and just under 50,000 reservists in the country.
Compulsory military service was suspended in 2011 during the reign of then-Chancellor Angela Merkel.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz wants to create the strongest conventional army in Europe in the face of the growing threat from Russia since the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Doubts about US commitment to European security under Donald Trump.
Last year, Germany exempted most of its defense spending from the country’s constitutional “debt brake.” It has also allocated more than €500bn (£436bn) for defense between 2025 and 2029.
