Voltage drop

This article deals with the declared defense and threat status in the Federal Republic of Germany. For the term from electrical engineering, see: Voltage drop .

The voltage drop is in the Federal Republic of Germany the precursor of the defense case . The voltage drop goes hand in hand with an increase in the military alert level.

The voltage drop is regulated in Article 80a of the Basic Law:

"If this Basic Law or a federal law on defense, including the protection of the civilian population, stipulates that legal provisions may only be applied in accordance with this article, then, except in a case of defense, their application is only permitted if the Bundestag has determined that the tension has occurred or if he has particularly consented to the application. The determination of the voltage drop and the special approval in the cases of Article 12a Paragraph 5 Clause 1 and Paragraph 6 Clause 2 require a majority of two thirds of the votes cast. "

On February 17, 2005, the maximum age to be convened in the event of a voltage drop was raised from 45 to 60 years (amendment to Section 3 of the Conscription Act by Article 1 of the Armed Forces Reserve Reorganization Act).

In the history of the Federal Republic of Germany there has so far been neither a case of tension nor a case of defense.

Web links

• Literature on the voltage drop in the catalog of the German National Library