Germany Moves Towards Voluntary Military Service Amid Security Concerns

Sat Sep 13 2025 12:34:35 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

The German cabinet supports a draft bill for voluntary military service that may lead to conscription as the government seeks to bolster national defense.

In response to increasing security threats, particularly from Russia, Germany's cabinet has approved a draft bill to introduce voluntary military service. This initiative aims to raise soldier numbers from 182,000 to 260,000 by the early 2030s, potentially reinstating conscription if necessary. Chancellor Friedrich Merz emphasizes the need for a strong defense, with new measures following shifts in Germany's defense policy since the end of compulsory service in 2011. Young citizens, particularly those aged 18, will participate in a voluntary recruitment process focusing on military readiness.

Germany's cabinet has passed a draft bill which will introduce voluntary military service. The bill could also lead to conscription if more troops are needed.

It's part of a move to boost German national defenses, following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Compulsory military service in Germany was ended in 2011 under then-Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz has made boosting Germany's military a priority given the threat from Russia and said we are now back on the path to a military service army.

He summed up his thinking earlier this year saying: We want to be able to defend ourselves so that we don't have to defend ourselves.

Germany's plans also follow calls by US President Donald Trump for Europe to take more responsibility for its own defense.

When his coalition government came to office earlier this year, it loosened borrowing restrictions to enable a surge in defense spending and then announced plans for 3.5% of economic output to go on defense over the next four years.

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius wants to increase the number of soldiers in service from 182,000 to 260,000 by the early 2030s to meet new Nato force targets and strengthen Germany's defenses.

The defense ministry also wants to increase the number of reservists to 200,000.

In future, all 18-year-old Germans, both men and women, will be sent an online questionnaire asking if they are willing to volunteer for military service. It will include questions about their physical fitness.

Men will be required to complete the form, but it will be voluntary for women.

In a statement, the government said military service would be voluntary for as long as possible. However, it said that if the security situation worsened or if there are too few volunteers, the government could decide to use compulsion with the approval of the Bundestag.

Pistorius told Deutschlandfunk radio he expected military service to remain voluntary. With attractive pay and attractive military service, I am very confident that we will succeed in attracting young men and women to the Bundeswehr, he said.

In recent years, the defense ministry has stepped up advertising campaigns and career events to recruit soldiers. In the first six months of this year, the Bundeswehr has reported a 28% increase in new recruits compared with the same period last year.

Some members of Pistorius's Social Democrat party, the junior partner in the coalition, have criticized the plans, suggesting the Bundeswehr needs to be made a more attractive employer, rather than reinstating compulsory military service.

Overall, the reintroduction of conscription remains a controversial topic in Germany, stirring debates about national defense priorities and the engagement of youth.