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Every fifth woman wants to defend Germany in an emergency

Bild

Germany

Tuesday, October 14


Berlin – Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin (73) is provoking the West. What seemed remote for a long time suddenly no longer seems out of the question: a serious escalation that would also affect Germany. And while the government wrangle over conscription, more and more people in the country are asking themselves: Would I fight in an emergency?

In fact, one in three people says:"If Germany were attacked, I would join the Bundeswehr for defense," according to a new INSA survey for BILD. Young people in particular seem willing: 34 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds do so, and even 40 percent of 30- to 39-year-olds. Among those aged 50 to 59, the number drops to just 26 percent.

What is also striking is that while 40 percent of men would serve, the figure for women is 21 percent.

There are also significant differences among voter groups. The CDU/CSU has the most supporters who would wear uniforms (42 percent). They are followed by the Greens (39 percent), the SPD (35 percent), the AfD (29 percent), the BSW (23 percent), and the Left Party (17 percent).

▶︎ However, more than half (56 percent) of all respondents would not resort to using a weapon in an emergency. 14 percent are still undecided.

The rejection rate is even higher if a NATO state, rather than Germany, were attacked. 61 percent of Germans would not want to defend NATO territory themselves. And the number of those who would join the military is only 25 percent. 14 percent did not provide an answer.

Military service by lot

One thing is certain: Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (65, SPD) will have to continue to persuade people if he wants to make Germany capable of defending itself. After all, he has set the goal of increasing the force to 260,000 soldiers by 2035 (currently 183,000). The government had originally agreed to initially try to implement it without conscription. But there is resistance within the Union.

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