Germany May Let Women Into All of Military

The German Cabinet decided Wednesday to allow women to serve in all branches of the military, including combat forces.

The decision, which must be approved by Parliament, would allow women to volunteer in every field, said Brigitte Schulte, the state secretary in the Defense Ministry. Previously women were limited to the medical services or the music corps.

“The decision is a surprising advance and takes into consideration the justified interests of women,” Schulte said.

The move was forced by a recent European Court ruling, which said the German military must let women volunteer for all military duties.

The Cabinet decision came as Parliament debated military reforms proposed by Defense Minister Rudolf Scharping to create a more flexible force to respond to crises abroad instead of, as has been its focus, fending off an attack.

Scharping’s plan calls for reducing the army by 61,000 troops to 277,000, with 150,000 of those soldiers serving in crisis-reaction forces. The number of conscripted soldiers would drop from 135,000 a year to 77,000.

The conscription issue has divided Germany’s governing coalition. The Greens, the junior partner of Scharping’s Social Democrats, have demanded an end to mandatory service.