While only advisory and not a law, the civil defense concept will be reviewed by the government’s ministers Wednesday.
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One section deals with “the quick and safe delivery of messages with special importance to the German army (for example decisions concerning the reintroduction of conscription)”, according to Spiegel magazine.
The huge influx of refugees – Germany accepted more than a million past year – has sparked fears among many Germans that terrorists have entered the country under the guise of seeking asylum.
In June, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said conscription will not be reintroduced, notwithstanding renewed tensions with Russian Federation and the terror threat posed by Islamic State (IS, previously ISIS/ISIL).
Germany scrapped compulsory national service in 2011, but provision for it remains in the constitution, so it could easily be reinstated, DPA says.
Apart from conscription, the German Interior Ministry’s paper also mentions the obligations of civilians and civilian organizations to assist the Bundeswehr in other ways, particularly by helping “recruitment organizations and accommodation infrastructure“.
Germany has told its citizens to stock up on water and food in the event of a terrorist attack or national catastrophe and may even consider re-introducing conscription in its first overhaul of civil defences in two decades.
The strategy was originally commissioned by a parliamentary committee in 2012.
Contacted by AFP, an interior ministry spokesman confirmed that the cabinet was due to adopt a civil defense strategy but declined details about the concept or comment on the newspaper report.
It added that an additional five days’ worth of water – based on a calculation of two litres of water per person per day – should also be stored.
According to FAZ, the “population will be obliged” to stockpile food for 10 days and water for 5 days, although it is not clear whether such proposals would be legally binding.
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This article first appeared on RT.
