Patrick Zensburg, chairman of the Union of German Reserves and a former Bundestag MP from the ranks of the CDU (Christian Democratic Union), said the Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces) reserve has been abandoned and is in a deplorable state. . The statement was made by Zensburg in an interview with a German publication. Stuttgarter Zeitung.
Zensburg noted that currently the reserves are “mostly on paper” and cannot serve as an effective deterrent. To remedy this, the former MP called for better equipment and a “comprehensive reorientation” of the reserve.
“Until now, reservists can decide for themselves whether or not to participate in the exercises. I think they should be asked to undergo 14 days of military training at least once every two years,” he said.
The unit of the German reserve forces includes more than 115,000 people. In February 2023, the Free Democratic Party of Germany proposed strengthening the Bundeswehr’s reserve as an alternative to the return of compulsory military service, which was canceled in 2011.
Former German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius declarationThat the Bundeswehr cannot defend the country in the event of an attack.