In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (FAS) on Sunday, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius discussed the likelihood of reintroducing compulsory military service in Germany.
Pistorius, who was also defence minister in Germany's previous traffic light coalition, said the new government was currently working on a compulsory military service law, and added that he hoped the legislation would come into force in January 2026.
Speaking just a few days after the permanent deployment of a German tank brigade in Lithuania, which represents Germany's biggest foreign military mission since World War II, Pistorius said, “Our model is initially based on voluntary participation."
He added, "If the time comes when we have more capacity available than voluntary registrations, a decision may be made to make recruitment mandatory. That is the roadmap."
How will conscription be rolled out?
Under current plans, compulsory questionnaires would be sent to all German men and women when they turn 18. The questionnaire is intended to collect information on all citizens of military age, allowing the state to decide who should be called up (and in what order) in the event of a military emergency.
It will be mandatory for men to complete the questionnaire and register on a new military registration database, whereas participation for women will be voluntary.
The government estimates that around 400,000 young people will submit their information each year – and that as many as 40,000 will voluntarily sign up each year for a period of military service (from a minimum of six months up to 23 months).
Provided they fall into the right age bracket, newly naturalised Germans and foreign dual citizens will also be included in the military service scheme.
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Will Germany reintroduce compulsory military service?
Compulsory military service was scrapped in Germany in 2011.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, however, the country has been attempting to boost both its defence spending and capabilities. To meet its obligations as part of the NATO alliance, Germany needs to add around 100,000 soldiers to the Bundeswehr.
In the lead-up to their coalition negotiations with the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), the conservative Union parties (CDU/CSU) were openly in favour of reintroducing military conscription in Germany. Defence Minister Pistorius (SPD) had advocated in favour of a voluntary system.
Now, his comments suggest he fears a voluntary system may not be enough to supply the army with an adequate number of new recruits: “If the time comes when we have more capacity than voluntary enlistments, then a decision may be made to make military service compulsory.”
From a legal point of view, reintroducing conscription would be relatively straightforward, as Germany's old universal conscription law was deactivated, rather than removed from the constitution, in 2011.
As it stands, the law only applies to men. A decision to conscript women would require a two-thirds majority in a vote in the Bundestag.
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