Host Nation Update, Sept. 9, 2025
WWII Bomb Defused Near A81 at Sindelfingen during the night
(SWR Aktuell, Anna Knake 9.9.2025)
Late Monday evening, a World War II bomb was discovered at a construction site near Sindelfingen/Böblingen during a routine inspection along the A81 motorway. The City of Sindelfingen reported the find around 9:00 p.m., and the A81 was temporarily closed in both directions near Böblingen/Sindelfingen to allow for safe defusal.
Challenging Defusal Operation Although the bomb weighed only 50 kilograms, the defusal proved difficult. According to city officials, the bomb’s nose fuse had been severely deformed due to a hard impact during the war, making removal more complex. Specialists from the ordnance disposal team were able to safely remove the fuse after approximately 45 minutes and successfully neutralize the device.
No Danger to Residents The local population was largely unaffected, with only minor exceptions in the Flugfeld residential and commercial area. Authorities confirmed there was no significant danger to the public. The A81 was reopened around 11:15 p.m.
Military Service in the Bundeswehr? No, Thank You.
(SWR Aktuell Tobias Faißt 9.9.2025)
Although military service in Germany remains voluntary, young people will soon be required to undergo conscription screening again. This change has prompted advisory centers for conscientious objectors to revise their recommendations, as many are now seeking guidance. Susanne Bödecker of the German Peace Society – United War Resisters (DFG-VK) in Stuttgart reports a surge in inquiries: “Someone calls every three minutes,” she says. Most callers are concerned parents wanting to understand what the new military service law means for their children. Young people, often unsure, tend to reach out via email. One such youth is 15-year-old Felix Tiarks from Albstadt, who contacted the DFG-VK directly. “I just can’t imagine killing someone I don’t even know with a weapon,” he says, firmly opposed to joining the Bundeswehr. In late August, the German federal cabinet approved a new military service law, pending final approval by the Bundestag. Starting in 2026, young men will be required to complete a questionnaire; women may do so voluntarily. By mid-2027, physical conscription screenings will become mandatory for males born in 2008 and later. This development has led the DFG-VK to update its advice. Bödecker now actively encourages young people to submit a formal application for conscientious objection. To do so, they must voluntarily attend a screening at a Bundeswehr career center. “Until now, we advised people to avoid giving the Bundeswehr any data and to stay away,” Bödecker explains. “But if screenings become mandatory, they’ll have to go to the career center anyway. So now we say: file an objection.” Germany’s Basic Law (Article 4, Paragraph 3) guarantees: “No one may be compelled against their conscience to perform military service involving the use of arms.” Anyone over 17.5 years old can apply for conscientious objection. After the screening, applicants must submit a written explanation of why their conscience prevents them from serving with weapons. “If you’re officially recognized as a conscientious objector, that status applies even in times of national emergency or defense,” Bödecker tells Felix. “You would still be drafted, but only for a civilian-type service outside the military. No weapons, no killing.” Since conscription was suspended in 2011, the Federal Office for Family and Civil Society Functions received very few applications. In 2019, only 110 people applied. However, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, numbers rose sharply: nearly 1,000 in 2022, over 2,200 in 2024, and more than 1,700 by July 2025. Since last year, the office has also begun tracking who submits applications. Most are civilians or reservists; fewer than 10% are active soldiers. For comparison, in 2005—when conscription was still active and Germany was involved in Afghanistan—nearly 109,000 people applied for conscientious objection. Felix Tiarks, politically active and a member of the Left Party’s district board in Zollernalb, is determined to file his objection as soon as he’s eligible. He fears a full return to mandatory military service. The proposed law allows for conscription to be reactivated if too few people volunteer for the Bundeswehr. This would require a government decree and Bundestag approval. Bödecker expects the phone to keep ringing as long as the topic remains in the media. “Every person we convince to file an objection is one less cog in the military machine,” she says. For her, the stress is worth it—it’s what she calls “positive stress.”