Military

Volunteer soldiers quit Germany's military after a change of heart

In the past two years, almost 500 Bundeswehr soldiers have asked to leave the army on the grounds of conscience. While no one is forced to stay, leaving can be a little more difficult, and costly, than it used to be.

...When Germany's military became voluntary in 2011, it was part of an effort to professionalize what was seen as "ineffectual" armed forces "in desperate need of modernization."In light of its Nazi past, Germany has long recognized a right to conscientious objection. During World War II, the Nazi regime did not recognize the status. Objectors were executed.

After the war, there was a will to break decisively with the past. 

East Germany was unique among Eastern bloc members in allowing objectors to instead join "construction units."

In West Germany, a section of the constitution ensured that: "No person shall be compelled against his conscience to render military service involving the use of arms. Details shall be regulated by a federal law."