Germany May Bring Back Conscription
Germany is talking about bringing back conscription. At the end of last week, it emerged that the coalition government was seriously discussing it.
It’s an interesting circle Germany has made. In 2011, German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg ended conscription. The German Army had been designed during the Cold War to put up a lot of men to stop a Soviet invasion. There are no more Soviets now, and Guttenberg wanted a more mobile force—a professional army of highly trained soldiers that could deploy abroad. That’s the direction Germany’s army has been going, but it now finds itself short of men.
We talked about this a few weeks ago when news emerged that Germany was thinking of allowing citizens of the European Union to join the German Army. Conscription would be another way to get more men.
Guttenberg still opposes conscription, and the Social Democrats, German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s left-wing coalition partners, have opposed it. So it seems unlikely to happen in this government. But it shows that Germany is searching for ways to beef up its military. It will be spending more money on the military, but it also wants more men.
The other reason they’re talking about it is to foster social cohesion. The last time Germany had conscription, most didn’t actually join the Army; they opted for community service.
Germans are worried about a divided society and a weak military, and conscription is just one possible solution.
The Trumpet has long forecast that Germany would become militarily powerful once again. Discussions about recruitment and conscription are exactly what you’d expect on the way.
Also this week, Germany confirmed that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan would be visiting Germany. This won’t be a low-key trip; it will be a full state visit with military honors and a state banquet.
This is hugely controversial. Erdoğan is a dictator who has locked up journalists with German citizenship, making him unpopular in Germany. Yet Germany is rolling out the red carpet for him. Why?
If you’re a European power that wants to get more involved in the Middle East, a Turkish alliance is a must. Turkey is the bridge from Europe to the Middle East, with its air bases, army bases and other useful connections.
The Bible prophesies that this alliance will happen. It gets very specific about a German-Turkish alliance. These two have had some public fallings-out. But through it all, they’ve maintained important arms treaties.
Once again Bible prophecy gives you the framework you need to understand world news. One of the pivotal prophecies we continually refer to is in Daniel 11, which discusses a clash between the king of the south and the king of the north “at the time of the end.” The Trumpet has long said that Germany is the king of the north and the clash would take place in the Middle East. This week you see Germany looking for ways to build up its military and making alliances that will help it get more involved in the Middle East.
You can read more about this in our Trumpet article “Pivotal Power.” You can also read more about this clash between the king of the north and the king of the south in Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry’s free booklet The King of the South.