Germany ‘considers conscripting all 18-year-olds’ amid fears of all-out NATO war with Russia – as Putin’s forces advance in Ukraine

Germany could bring back conscription for all 18-year-olds amid fears of an all-out NATO war with Russia, according to leaked military plans.

Military planners are discussing three possible plans, two of which would include a mandatory military year for all men once they turn 18.

It is understood officials are in the final stages of talks with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who is expected to make official plans public next month. The Sunday Telegraph reported.

Mr. Pistorius said during a trip to Washington last week that he was “convinced” that Germany “needs some form of military conscription.”

He also previously called the country’s decision to suspend military service in 2011 a “mistake.”

Under one proposal being considered by military planners in Berlin, all men and women would be conscripted once they turn 18.

Germany’s previous policy on compulsory military service applied only to men.

Including women would require an amendment to the country’s constitution, according to the newspaper, but ministry insiders reportedly believe the change is “very likely to gain social approval.”

Another proposal, seen by the Defense Department as a “strong signal” to allies and rivals alike, would only apply to 18-year-old males but not everyone would be selected, the leaked reports show.

Young men would have to fill out an online form and could then be selected for service later.

A third option under consideration avoids conscription and focuses instead on “optimizing” the current military system through more proactive recruitment campaigns.

News of the Defense Ministry’s possible conscription plans comes just days after Vladimir Putin declared his nuclear forces fully combat ready in preparation for a global war.

Putin addressed top officials, members of the armed forces and millions of Russian citizens in a disturbing speech from Moscow’s Red Square on Thursday.

He praised the troops fighting in Ukraine for their courage and also denounced what Russia calls the “collective West”, accusing it of “fomenting regional conflicts, inter-ethnic and inter-religious conflicts and trying to establish sovereign and independent centers of global development in to keep under control’. .

Amid tensions between Russia and the West that have risen to their highest level since the Cold War, Putin has also issued another stark reminder of Russia’s nuclear power.

Putin said the Kremlin would do everything it could to avoid a global confrontation, but warned that his military was ready to face any threat to his country’s security.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday that Ukrainians with residence permits and work can remain in Germany, even as Ukraine tries to recruit nationals living abroad to serve in the war against Russia.

The Ukrainian government last month approved rules temporarily banning military-age men from applying for passports abroad. This further tightens the rules in an attempt to address the shortage of troops to counter Russian attacks.

“The legal situation is such that the stay here is not in question,” Scholz said during a webcast event of the RND newspaper group.

“Having a job leads to security of residence,” he said, adding that Germany wanted to encourage Ukrainians in the country to work