World News | Germany Wants to Kick Extremists out of Military Faster
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. The German government has agreed on a bill that would speed up the dismissal of soldiers involved in extremism or serious crimes.
Berlin, Jun 3 (AP) The German government has agreed on a bill that would speed up the dismissal of soldiers involved in extremism or serious crimes.
Current military rules mean that soldiers who have served for more than four years can only be kicked out after they have been convicted of a crime or removed as part of a court-led disciplinary procedure. In practice, this can mean soldiers remain in the military for years until they are removed.
The bill proposed Wednesday by Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer allows the military to swiftly expel soldiers if their continued presence would "seriously threaten the military order or the reputation of the Bundeswehr” and they have served fewer than eight years.
German officials have expressed alarm over the recent discovery of several far-right extremists in the military, including a member of the special forces unit KSK who had hoarded weapons, ammunition and explosives at home.
Also Read | India Lodges Strong Protest With Pakistan Over Vandalism of Buddhist Carvings in PoK's Gilgit-Baltistan.
Last month, the head of the unit, Brig. Gen. Markus Kreitmayr, told soldiers that he wouldn't tolerate extremism in the ranks.
The bill still needs to be passed by parliament. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)