President of the State Parliament advocates for mandatory year of service in the community - Germany’s Bundeswehr holds historic swearing-in ceremony in Mainz
A public swearing-in ceremony for new Bundeswehr recruits took place before Rhineland-Palatinate’s state parliament in Mainz. The event marked one of the most important military traditions in Germany. Parliament President Hendrik Hering used the occasion to call for a mandatory year of national service for all young people after school or vocational training.
The recruits who took their oath came from the Air Force Training Battalion in Roth and the 5th Homeland Security Regiment, headquartered in Thuringia. Their pledge was a declaration of loyalty to Germany’s legal and constitutional order. Hering stressed that the Bundeswehr operates as a democratic defence force, guided by democratic values.
The ceremony in Mainz underscored the Bundeswehr’s role in German society. Hering’s proposal for mandatory national service could expand opportunities for civic engagement. If implemented, the plan would involve young people in military, humanitarian, or social work after completing their education.
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