But too bad for Sinkies, this announcement is for Germany.
And since Sinkapore loves to follow first world countries, this should be one of the law to end !!
Aug 13, 2010
Germany to end conscription
BERLIN - GERMANY is planning to effectively eliminate conscription, a newspaper reported on Friday, as part of a major cost-cutting drive that will see troop numbers slashed and military priorities reassessed.
The daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung said that Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg had laid out a compromise plan on military service that was gaining support from the three parties in the centre-right ruling coalition.
In the most controversial aspect of the scheme to date, Germany would retain conscription in its Basic Law but only accept recruits who agree to join the military. The government estimates that would be about 7,500 men.
Mr zu Guttenberg will present the plans to Chancellor Angela Merkel next week and to the defence and foreign affairs committees in parliament on Aug 23, the Suddeutsche said, citing sources close to the minister.
But a comprehensive reform is not expected until after a commission makes recommendations on the future structure of the defence ministry, in Nov. Several media outlets reported this week that Mr zu Guttenberg also intends to shrink the armed forces to 156,000 troops from 195,000 today.
Conscription has been a venerable institution in postwar Germany, seen as an effective guarantee that the military would never again fall into the hands of a power-hungry elite as it did in the Nazi period. -- AFP
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/World/Story/STIStory_565861.html
And since Sinkapore loves to follow first world countries, this should be one of the law to end !!
Aug 13, 2010
Germany to end conscription
BERLIN - GERMANY is planning to effectively eliminate conscription, a newspaper reported on Friday, as part of a major cost-cutting drive that will see troop numbers slashed and military priorities reassessed.
The daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung said that Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg had laid out a compromise plan on military service that was gaining support from the three parties in the centre-right ruling coalition.
In the most controversial aspect of the scheme to date, Germany would retain conscription in its Basic Law but only accept recruits who agree to join the military. The government estimates that would be about 7,500 men.
Mr zu Guttenberg will present the plans to Chancellor Angela Merkel next week and to the defence and foreign affairs committees in parliament on Aug 23, the Suddeutsche said, citing sources close to the minister.
But a comprehensive reform is not expected until after a commission makes recommendations on the future structure of the defence ministry, in Nov. Several media outlets reported this week that Mr zu Guttenberg also intends to shrink the armed forces to 156,000 troops from 195,000 today.
Conscription has been a venerable institution in postwar Germany, seen as an effective guarantee that the military would never again fall into the hands of a power-hungry elite as it did in the Nazi period. -- AFP
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/World/Story/STIStory_565861.html
