Markus Lanz Tonight: Heated Debate on Military Conscription and Surprise Guest Toni Feller

I tuned into Markus Lanz again last night – and let me tell you, it was no casual chat. They got down to the nitty-gritty: Should armed service become compulsory again for young men and women? Ever since the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the growing tensions with Russia, this topic is back in the living rooms across the country. And yesterday, there were some serious controversies, mainly because of one guest: Toni Feller.

An Evening with Explosive Potential

Lanz kicked off the show by looking back at the chaos in Kabul five years ago. Images of overcrowded military transporters and desperate people clinging to aircraft wings – they were still fresh in everyone's minds. The question hanging in the air was: Did the German Armed Forces fail back then because it was a professional army without adequate reserves? That's precisely where the debate started. And suddenly, Lanz brought a man forward from the back row, someone many previously knew only from expert circles: Retired Colonel Toni Feller, a grey-haired veteran with years of service in Kunduz and Mazar-i-Sharif.

The Guests and Their Positions

Seated at the table alongside Feller were Green Party defence expert Anna-Maria Wagner and sociologist Professor Klaus Bittner, who has always been an opponent of conscription. The battle lines were quickly drawn:

• Toni Feller (Retired Colonel): "Abolishing conscription was a historic mistake. We severed the link between the military and society. When push comes to shove, we simply lack the personnel to meet our alliance commitments. Young people need to learn again to take responsibility for the common good – and not just in an office, but if necessary, also with a weapon."
• Anna-Maria Wagner (Green Party): "I have great respect for Mr. Feller's service, but we mustn't regress to the 80s. Compulsory service is a deep intrusion into individual freedoms. We need a modern, high-tech army, not conscripts who end up bored for nine months without being truly useful to anyone."
• Professor Klaus Bittner: "This isn't really about the military at all. It's about symbolic politics. The Afghanistan missions showed that the professional army was overstretched – more people wouldn't have prevented the chaos either. What we need is a thorough political reappraisal, not rushed decisions."

When Feller Got Personal

Things got intense when Lanz probed further, asking Feller if he would truly be willing to send his own grandchildren to the front. The old colonel stood his ground: "I have three grandchildren of eligible age myself. When I see how they sometimes behave – constantly glued to their phones, no sense of duty – then sometimes I wish they'd have to spend nine months learning what discipline and camaraderie mean. Not everyone has to handle a weapon later on, but we need everyone for civil defence, for disaster relief. That has nothing to do with militarism." The studio fell pin-drop silent. You could almost feel the other guests swallow hard.

Wagner countered immediately: "That sounds like a disciplinary measure, Mr. Feller. But the state isn't a reformatory for spoiled teenagers!" Feller remained calm, looked at her intently, and said: "Ms. Wagner, I was in Kunduz when we saw wounded comrades burning. That wasn't about discipline. That was about life and death. Believe me, we cannot afford this arrogance."

The Lessons from Afghanistan

Interestingly, Lanz kept returning to the 2021 withdrawal. He played clips where German soldiers reported how dependent they were on the Americans back then. Feller seized the moment: "That's exactly the point. A professional army quickly reaches its limit. If we truly want to be sovereign, we need a conscription-based army that is rooted in society. I'm not talking about a massive force, but one that can grow in an emergency." Bittner waved it off: "That's a militia idea completely out of touch with reality. The equipment is lacking as it is!"

And so the debate went back and forth. In the end, everyone agreed that tonight's episode of Markus Lanz once again showed just how deep the divisions are on this issue. No one convinced the other, but perhaps some viewers reconsidered their own opinion. I, for one, gained a lot of respect for Toni Feller. The man knows what he's talking about – even if I'm not sure his solution is the right one.

If you missed the show: It's available to stream later – definitely check it out, it's worth it!