Germany Unveils 'Most Sweeping Military Reforms' Since Cold War - Reports

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Berlin has unveiled the "most sweeping military reforms" since the Cold War, including a possible revival of compulsory national service, in efforts to better prepare the country's armed forces to defend NATO territory, The Financial Times has reported.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced on Thursday that the Bundeswehr, the country's armed forces, will be supplemented with a fourth type of armed forces as part of the structural reform, which will be in charge of activities in the cyber and information space, and with a new operation command. He added that the reform, in general, is designed to ensure that the German armed forces are prepared for emergencies, including a war.

"It is a landmark reform ... Our goal is to restructure the Bundeswehr in such a way that it is best positioned in the event of defence, in the event of war ... Nobody should have the idea of attacking Nato territory — this is what we [want to] convey," the report cited Pistorius as saying on Thursday.

Pistorius had signed an order to reorganize the Bundeswehr "from top to bottom" to reestablish the Bundeswehr "for a new, old challenge" and enable the German military to make "quick decisions," the report said. The measures are part of a huge shift in Berlin's attitude toward the armed forces, the report said, adding that it reflects what German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was a turning point in security policy after the launch of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine.

German military officials have been given six months to implement the plans, the report said, adding that a key demand for the German Defense Ministry is that the Bundeswehr will be made ready for compulsory national service if it is reintroduced.

He added that the ministry will propose a model of national service for young adults in the coming weeks, the report said.