University Open House: MrWissen2go was a guest in the Schadeberg Lecture Hall

University Open House in Siegen: The House of Science hosted MrWissen2go—Mirko Drotschmann—as part of its “Saturdays at 12” series. In the nearly full Schadeberg Lecture Hall, the topic “Military Service or Conscription? How Germany Plans to Better Defend Itself in the Future.” Drotschmann—who had just turned 40—recounted his medical examination at a district military recruitment office in 2005. He ultimately completed nine months of civilian service at a retirement home in Baden-Baden: “For me, that was the right decision. I gained my first professional experience, even if it wasn’t on a voluntary basis.” 

In 2011, Germany decided to suspend compulsory military service. Fewer and fewer young men were being called up for military service, and fairness was being undermined. The Bundeswehr became a volunteer army. In light of new power dynamics in Europe and around the world—particularly in view of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and, currently, a possible (partial) withdrawal of the U.S. from NATO—new plans are underway to strengthen the Bundeswehr in terms of personnel and equipment. The personnel target for 2035 is 260,000 active-duty soldiers and 150,000 reservists. According to Drotschmann, to achieve this goal, there is now a “light version of conscription.” In principle, mandatory military service has not been reinstated. However, since the beginning of the year, all 18-year-old men and women have been contacted in writing and have received a questionnaire. Men are required to return the completed form; women may do so. Medical examinations will resume on July 1. 

The legal basis is Article 12a of the Basic Law: “Men may be required to serve in the armed forces, the Federal Border Guard, or a civil defense unit from the age of eighteen.” Conscientious objection to military service with weapons is also regulated accordingly. Since 2001, women have also been permitted to serve in combat units.

According to Drotschmann, a committee of 48 members—composed of members of the Bundestag (two-thirds) and the Bundesrat (one-third)—decides on a state of tension and a state of defense. The declaration of a state of tension or defense, which entails far-reaching emergency powers, has profound consequences. The lecture was followed by an in-depth discussion.

At the booth of the Lifelong Learning Campus, which also includes the House of Science, there was the traditional University Open House quiz—this time on the Children’s University topic “The Nebra Sky Disk.” It is made of bronze (copper and tin), weighs 2.2 kg, and was originally black. Over 3,500 years ago, people used it not least to calculate sowing and harvest times. When the Pleiades were visible in the sky alongside the crescent moon, spring had arrived. Today, the Nebra Sky Disk—which was illegally discovered on July 4, 1999, by two looters on the Mittelberg near Nebra (Saxony-Anhalt)—is on display at the Museum of Prehistory in Halle/Saale. Museum staff members were guests at the Siegen Children’s University in February of this year. Two quiz participants answered six out of seven questions correctly and each received a book voucher.