The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) in the Saxon state parliament is demanding that the Bundeswehr refrain from recruiting minors. According to the BSW, the militarization of society is progressing dangerously. Increasingly, minors in Saxony are also receiving unsolicited recruitment postcards from the Bundeswehr.
BSW does not see maturity for such a career decision
The BSW parliamentary group rejects such recruitment attempts for a number of reasons, it said. "The profession of soldier is not like any other. Dying and serious, permanent injuries are a realistic consequence of this career choice." The decision to become a soldier requires careful consideration and a high degree of maturity, which is not necessarily present at a young age.
In the opinion of the BSW, national defense is an important task of the state, but minors should not be called upon for this. Furthermore, current German foreign policy does not give the impression of being primarily concerned with defense. Statements made by leading politicians gave the impression that they wanted to seek conflict solutions through war rather than diplomacy.
BSW urges the government to make more diplomatic efforts
"We should not sacrifice our young people for this," emphasized MP Nico Rudolph. "We finally need serious diplomatic efforts by the German government towards Russia instead of normalizing the waging of wars more and more."
The Bundeswehr's advertising campaign includes the sentence: "We offer you over 50 apprenticeships and courses of study as well as more than 1,000 different, exciting jobs - in uniform or civilian."
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