The Uniform Looks Better on You: Germany’s Pro Conscription Crowd Who Never Served

Compulsory service sounds remarkably appealing when it means somebody else putting their life on the line. Politicians and individual Green advocates are happy to explain why the next generation should serve, despite never having worn the uniform themselves. For a party with roots in the peace and environmental movements, that deserves particular scrutiny: how does protecting the planet fit with preparing for wars that devastate it, especially when nuclear escalation is part of the risk? Before another lecture about duty and sacrifice, perhaps these politicians could explain why the uniform always looks better on somebody else.

Jens Spahn, CDU

Jens Spahn never served in the Bundeswehr. He was ausgemustert, skipped both Wehrdienst and Wehrersatzdienst, trained as a banker at WestLB and later studied political science before settling into politics. Now he wants compulsory military service back if Germany can’t find enough volunteers.

Alice Weidel, AfD

Alice Weidel never served in the Bundeswehr. She studied economics, got her doctorate and then went off into banking and consulting before eventually landing in politics. Now she wants Wehrpflicht back and even proposed two years of compulsory military service. Two fucking years. Easy enough to hand those out when they are two years of somebody else’s life.

Katharina Fegebank, Greens

Katharina Fegebank never served in the Bundeswehr. She studied political science, English studies and public law and then went straight into politics. Now she wants Wehrpflicht for men and women, either military or civilian service. Never served herself, but apparently compulsory service is a pretty damn good idea when it’s other people being volunteered for it.

Julia Klöckner, CDU

Julia Klöckner never served in the Bundeswehr. She studied political science, Catholic theology and education, then worked in journalism and the wine business before going into politics. Now she likes the idea of compulsory national service and isn’t ruling out Wehrpflicht either.

Patricia Lips, CDU

Patricia Lips studied business administration, worked in commerce and then ended up in politics. No Bundeswehr service in her biography, but she is all for the Union’s aufwachsende Wehrpflicht and a compulsory social year. Never wore the uniform herself, but sure, let’s make the next generation do it.

Christoph de Vries, CDU

Christoph de Vries never served in the Bundeswehr. He studied sociology and economics and then made a career out of politics. Now he wants an allgemeine Dienstpflicht, which could also mean serving in the Bundeswehr.

Paul Ziemiak, CDU

Paul Ziemiak has no Bundeswehr service listed in his biography. He studied law and corporate communications before ending up in politics. Now he supports a compulsory service year, with the Bundeswehr as one of the options. Never did it himself, but apparently taking a year out of someone else’s life sounds just fine.

Günter Krings, CDU

Günter Krings went the law and history route, then academia and politics. No Bundeswehr service shows up in his biography. Now he wants compulsory service, with the Bundeswehr as one of the options.

Alexander Dobrindt, CSU

Alexander Dobrindt studied sociology, went into business and then politics. No Bundeswehr service shows up in his biography, but now he wants Wehrpflicht back and likes talking about different conscription models for Germany.

Katharina Schulze, Greens

Katharina Schulze never served in the Bundeswehr. She studied intercultural communication, political science and psychology before going into politics. Now she wants a compulsory six month Freiheitsdienst, which could mean military, civil protection or social service. Calling something compulsory a Freiheitsdienst is honestly fucking hilarious.

Florian Siekmann, Greens

Florian Siekmann went through university and politics rather than a Bundeswehr career. Together with Schulze, he proposed the compulsory Freiheitsdienst: military service, civil protection or social service.

Mona Neubaur, Greens

Mona Neubaur has straight up said she was never in the Bundeswehr. She went from university to environmental organizations and then politics. Now she backs compulsory service, with the military, civil service or social work as options.

Tarek Al Wazir, Greens

Tarek Al Wazir studied political science and then made a career out of politics. Now he wants a compulsory service year where you can pick between the Bundeswehr, social work, environmental work, disaster relief and a few other options.

Niklas Wagener, Greens

Niklas Wagener trained in forestry before going into politics. No military career for him, but now he is one of the people pushing for a compulsory Gesellschaftsjahr, with military, civil or social service as options. Didn’t do it himself, but apparently it’s a great idea for everyone coming after him.

Johannes Winkel, CDU

Johannes Winkel studied law and became a lawyer and politician rather than pursuing a Bundeswehr career. As Junge Union chairman, he has been one of the loud advocates for restoring Wehrpflicht.

Daniel Günther, CDU

Daniel Günther studied political science, economics and psychology before building his political career. His published biography contains no documented Bundeswehr service. He supports Wehrpflicht as well as broader compulsory service.

Hedwig Richter, Historian

Hedwig Richter studied history, German literature and philosophy and became a professor rather than a soldier. She has advocated compulsory national service and is now a professor at the Bundeswehr University Munich. There is something wonderfully bureaucratic about turning compulsory service into an academic theory of citizenship.