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Germany votes to bring in voluntary military service programme for 18-year-olds

bbc.com

431–440 of 465 posts

Re: Germany votes to bring in voluntary military service programme for 18-year-olds

#431

Just build nukes if you are afraid of Russia then nuke them if they try to invade. Ukraine is not as smart and gave up its nukes in the early 90s, and is now in the middle of a war for the last couple years.

I support this strategy. Build nukes and plenty gigantic bunkers for the population, nothing else. And then follow the doctrine of immediate nuclear escalation upon any territorial infraction. Plane got off course in bad weather? Grab your Sauerkraut and bye bye Moscow.

I'm glad you're just an Internet Warrior(TM), then.

Re: Germany votes to bring in voluntary military service programme for 18-year-olds

#432
post #283

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Send the older generations then. Why should Gen Z be forced to pay the price of the previous governments' poor decision making? Namely, in Germany, nurturing a authoritarian regime by decimating green energy initiatives in favor of Russian oil imports. Russia would never have taken such bold action if Europe responded strongly no later than 2014.

> Send the older generations then. Why should Gen Z be forced to pay the price Yeah this is perfectly rational and logical. Hard to argue. Problem is, the other side (russia) will not be sending just the older generation.

OT1H, yes, Dad's Army won't be the most effective troops Germany has ever fielded.

OTOH, pretty soon Russia won't have anything except the older gen to send (and oligarch's sons - haha, just kidding; they'll send women and children first!).

Re: Germany votes to bring in voluntary military service programme for 18-year-olds

#433

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Including women in this does have the additional hurdle that a constitutional amendment would be needed, which is less likely to pass, regardless of the merits.

I can’t understand why women and male allies aren’t flooding the streets in protest to demand the constitution changes so that women are fully equal to men then. Surely that’s the most noble of causes.

"I want my chance to die young or be horribly mangled, just like men!" may be noble, but not very inspirational.

Re: Germany votes to bring in voluntary military service programme for 18-year-olds

#434

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Send the older generations then. Why should Gen Z be forced to pay the price Yeah this is perfectly rational and logical. Hard to argue. Problem is, the other side (russia) will not be sending just the older generation.

OT1H, yes, Dad's Army won't be the most effective troops Germany has ever fielded. OTOH, pretty soon Russia won't have anything except the older gen to send (and oligarch's sons - haha, just kidding; they'll send women and children first!).

> soon Russia won't have anything

I was confident about that in 2022. I was confident about that in 2023. I was confident about that in 2024. I was confident about that in 2025.

I'm not sure about that anymore.

Re: Germany votes to bring in voluntary military service programme for 18-year-olds

#435

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But do people think American will translate to Germany?

Germany took part in a lot of those wars.

Did it? Genuine question. I thought they were mostly prohibited by their constitution (a.k.a. what the Allies thought was best) from engaging in offensive warfare.

Re: Germany votes to bring in voluntary military service programme for 18-year-olds

#436
post #193

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You see, millions are already killed in the biggest war in Europe since WW2 and it looks like this is just the prelude. Russia is threatening to fight Europe as of yesterday, continue to increase weapon production and militarisation. It is obvious that it just cannot stop as its economy and social order is switching more and more to the war-time. China backs russia up and officially declaring that it cannot allow Rus…

You misunderstand. I'm not against reporting about Russia. The oversimplification of reducing everything down to "Putin this, Putin that" is my issue. Imagine me saying everything the EU is doing is explicitly because of Ursel. It's stupid, ignorant and reminds me of Trump Derangement Syndrome which had a similar effect on reporting about US issues. I live in Germany so I'm fucked either way. I'm also aware of NATO e…

> The oversimplification of reducing everything down to "Putin this, Putin that" is my issue. Imagine me saying everything the EU is doing is explicitly because of Ursel. It's stupid, ignorant and reminds me of Trump Derangement Syndrome which had a similar effect on reporting about US issues.

Those oversimplifications are in fact also really at the core of the issues. Russia without Putin would be far less likely to have quagmired itself in this economy-wrecking show of technical and strategic incompetence. His navy is intimidated by a nation without active seamen! His invasion forces got stuck on the way in, for weeks!

And in the US, it has literally been proven career suicide, time and time again, for a GOP politician to buck the line, even a little, against that demented, narcissistic idiot. I can't believe the nation has not only created, but sustained, this freakish coopting of half the government - but it has. If Trump says he likes poop-flavored ice cream, GOP senators will line up for their brown-lipped photo ops. I guarantee it.

It's hard to make adequate satire of these two hellish clowns.

Re: Germany votes to bring in voluntary military service programme for 18-year-olds

#437
post #196

> "We don't want to spend half a year of our lives locked up in barracks, being trained in drill and obedience and learning to kill," the organisers of the protests wrote in a statement posted on social media. "War offers no prospects for the future and destroys our livelihoods." Is the idea that it’s better for your livelihood to just start learning how speak Russian now?

What are you suggesting? That without forced military service Russia will take over Germany? It's not impossible, but basic military service likely does little to thwart invasion by a powerful Russian army — powerful by your suggestion. This is quite an expensive program and a questionable use of taxpayer money.

Technically correct, but more importantly: the lack of trained military personnel does even less to thwart invasion.

"Likely little" >> nothing.

Re: Germany votes to bring in voluntary military service programme for 18-year-olds

#438

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is not how reality works at all. Nuclear war is a last resort, not a first response to a ground invasion. Ground troops are essential for defense, even in the era of nukes and drones.

No it is not a last resort. It is a political weapon that helps you avoid war.

It is both. The policy of AMD has never yet failed.

But likewise, AMD only works because there IS a last resort that is unthinkably bad for both sides.

Re: Germany votes to bring in voluntary military service programme for 18-year-olds

#439

> "We don't want to spend half a year of our lives locked up in barracks, being trained in drill and obedience and learning to kill," the organisers of the protests wrote in a statement posted on social media. "War offers no prospects for the future and destroys our livelihoods." Is the idea that it’s better for your livelihood to just start learning how speak Russian now?

But that they learn how to speak English is not an issue for you, is it?

Voluntarily? Nope.

Re: Germany votes to bring in voluntary military service programme for 18-year-olds

#440

> "We don't want to spend half a year of our lives locked up in barracks, being trained in drill and obedience and learning to kill," the organisers of the protests wrote in a statement posted on social media. "War offers no prospects for the future and destroys our livelihoods." Is the idea that it’s better for your livelihood to just start learning how speak Russian now?

I'd rather learn Russian than to get drilled to shoot Russians. Current Germany/Europe doesn't have anything to offer that I'd raise a weapon for. Each to their own.

So, leave. Emigration to Russia isn't that hard.

Seriously, you're just an internet poser.

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