Germany’s Defence Minister, Boris Pistorius, announced plans on Wednesday for new legislation aimed at strengthening the country’s military forces.
The proposed bill would involve sending letters to around 400,000 young men turning 18 each year, enquiring about their interest and ability to serve in the military.
Under the proposed law, recipients of the letters would need to answer the questions. The military would then invite interested individuals for a medical checkup and select the most qualified to serve for 6-23 months.
Pistorius said: “Russia has now been waging a war against Ukraine for two and a half years — it is not only calling the rules-based international order into question, it is destroying it. This is a new threat situation.”
This move is part of Germany’s effort to increase its active forces to 203,000 from the current 181,000. During the Cold War, Germany had over 500,000 troops.
If passed, the military service would remain voluntary, differing from the compulsory conscription suspended in 2011. The conscription act still allows for mandatory service for men if the parliament declares a state of emergency.
Women turning 18 would also receive the letters but would not be required to respond, as the constitution does not mandate service for them.
Calls to reintroduce some form of military service have grown in Germany since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Shortly after the invasion, Chancellor Olaf Scholz committed to increasing defence spending to meet NATO’s target and established a 100 billion euro special fund, describing the invasion as a “turning point.”
Pistorius expects that about a quarter of the young men who receive the questionnaire would express interest in serving. The army aims to select the 5,000 most qualified men each year, with hopes of increasing this number over time.
Germany faces significant challenges with its military personnel and equipment. In March, Eva Hoegl, the parliament’s commissioner for the armed forces, reported that the military still has “too little of everything,” noting that “the Bundeswehr is aging and shrinking.”
Other European countries are also exploring new forms of military service in response to perceived threats from Russia. In the UK, the Conservative Party proposed mandatory military or civilian national service for all 18-year-olds if they win the upcoming election.
