Germany has effectively begun the process of reviving its military service system 14 years after suspending conscription in 2011. Before full mandatory conscription, volunteers will be recruited first, while mandating physical examinations for all 18-year-old men to build defense personnel databases (DB) in a hybrid approach. As security threats from Russia grow, even Germany—which once treated the very word war as taboo—is moving to expand its forces with the goal of becoming the "strongest military in Europe."
According to Euronews and other foreign media on the 13th (local time), Germany's ruling coalition (the Christian Democratic Union·Christian Social Union and the Social Democratic Party) reached a final agreement on a new military service plan. The new system is called "needs-based military service obligation (Bedarfswehrpflicht)." Modeled after Nordic examples such as Sweden, it is scheduled to take effect in one month and a half, in Jan. next year. The core measure is to collect information related to military service from all youths when they turn 18. Starting with those born in 2008, all 18-year-old German men—about 300,000 annually—will be required to answer a questionnaire asking about their health status and willingness to serve.
Starting in Jul. 2027, all these men will have to undergo mandatory physical examinations regardless of whether they wish to serve. This is similar to the Military Manpower Administration physical exam in Korea. For women, both the survey response and the physical exam are optional. The German government said, "The constitution specifies that only men are subject to conscription, so making it mandatory for women could be unconstitutional."
The German government said this process would "build a complete picture of the potential talent pool," adding that it is aimed at "securing a personnel DB that can be mobilized in an emergency." Enlistment will in principle be based on volunteers for now. Alongside announcing the new military service plan, the German government increased monthly military pay to 2,600 euros (about 3.8 million won) and strengthened benefits such as subsidies for driver's license acquisition compared with before.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius must report recruitment results to parliament every six months. If volunteers alone fail to meet troop targets, parliament can trigger the "needs-based conscription" provision through a separate vote. Experts, noting this point, said "the measure leaves the door open to a full return to conscription."
Drafting methods under discussion include a random lottery. Initially, the German coalition discussed a system under which, starting last month, if targets were not met, shortfalls would be filled automatically by drawing lots from the personnel DB without a parliamentary vote. But the Social Democratic Party, which opposes full conscription, and the Christian Democratic Union, which argues that volunteers alone are insufficient to strengthen defense, settled on the compromise of requiring parliamentary approval.
Since World War II, Germany has reacted with extreme sensitivity to the use of military force and arms buildup. But when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, security anxiety peaked. Then-Chancellor Olaf Scholz declared a Zeitenwende and created a special defense fund totaling 100 billion euros. Going further, current Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged in a May parliamentary speech to build "the most powerful conventional military in Europe." The current German government has set a goal of completing war preparations by 2029.
Carsten Breuer, Germany's top defense official, also warned in June that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance must be prepared for the possibility of a Russian attack within four years. Pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who raised the issue of Europe's free-riding on security and pushed NATO to increase defense spending, also helped move Germany.
Germany plans to increase its armed forces from about 182,000 now to 260,000 by 2035. It will also expand the reserve from the current 60,000 to 200,000. Defense Minister Pistorius said, "The stronger the deterrence, the lower the likelihood of conflict," adding, "There is no reason to be afraid." The new military service bill must pass a parliamentary vote by the end of the year to take effect formally.
Military experts said Germany's decision aligns with a broader European trend of returning to conscription. Latvia, which borders Russia, reinstated conscription in 2023. Lithuania and Sweden introduced conscription earlier, in 2015 and 2017, respectively. More recently, Croatia decided to reintroduce mandatory service after 18 years. Finland, Norway, Denmark, Austria and Greece, among others, had maintained conscription without abolishing it.
The youth set to be subject to the draft are strongly pushing back. According to the BBC, 63% of respondents aged 18 to 29 in Germany opposed mandatory service in a poll. Some also criticized that even with more money, a conscription model, which lacks specialization, cannot make the military stronger. Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto expressed skepticism about conscription, saying, "Modern militaries require expertise. The military is not a place to educate young people."