Schroeder praises compulsory military service as Germany's postwar army marks 50 years
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-06-07 21:54

Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said Tuesday that compulsory military service remains a sound basis for Germany's defense as its armed forces marked the 50th anniversary of their postwar rebirth.

Schroeder also noted the growing cooperation of European militaries, saying it was part of an integration process too important to be halted by the difficulties passing a new EU constitution.

Germany is under pressure from allies including the United States to modernize its forces after peacekeeping missions in the Balkans and Afghanistan exposed a shortage of quickly deployable units and modern equipment.

It has slashed its troop strength over the last 15 years since the Berlin Wall fell, West and East Germany reunited and the threat of a Soviet land invasion disappeared.

Nevertheless, it has clung to military service, despite some calls to switch to an all-professional army -- a sensitive topic because of Germany's legacy of past militarism.

At a ceremony before hundreds of guests in a Berlin museum, Schroeder said ``the concept of common military service ... is even today a proven basis for the Bundeswehr.''

Schroeder said its ``citizens in uniform'' had helped allay fears as West Germany rearmed after the Nazi defeat in World War II, and today meant its soldiers were more flexible when deployed as peacekeepers.

The force was ``from the first day, an army of the people and an army of democracy,'' Schroeder said.

Schroeder, an outspoken critic of the war in Iraq, said the NATO alliance remains vital to all its members.

But he said it should be ``complemented'' by the growing defense capabilities of European Union nations, which recently established several quick-reaction multinational ``battle-groups'' to enhance peacekeeping abilities.

He said that was an example of why EU expansion and integration must continue, despite the recent rejection of its planned constitution in both France and the Netherlands.

Barring aspiring members such as Bulgaria or Romania could create damaging ``new nationalism,'' he said, and told EU leaders they had a ``historical responsibility'' to move unification forward.

``I'm convinced this is possible for both deepening and enlargement,'' Schroeder said.

Schroeder praised Germany's military for its operations in countries such as Afghanistan, where it has more than 2,000 troops, and Defense Minister Peter Struck said such deployments would be a clear focus for years to come.

``The Bundeswehr will be an army engaged all around the world wherever the United Nations, NATO or the European Union decides to send troops,'' Struck told ZDF television. ``This is the clear beginning of a new era.''

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