German men need military approval to travel

German men ages 17 to 45 may not leave the country for more than three months without permission from the German military. That specific provision, in a new law passed in January, went largely unnoticed until Frankfurter Rundschau reported it on Friday. German law previously required men of military age to get permission to leave only during times of war or imminent war. The new provision is not currently connected to any penalties, and the government said that approvals are currently being granted automatically. Nonetheless, a key provision for drastically increased German militarization of society is already on the books.