Germany's parliament, the Bundestag, has voted to introduce voluntary military service, in a move aimed at boosting national defenses after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It marks a significant shift in Germany's approach to its military and follows Chancellor Friedrich Merz's push to create Europe's strongest conventional army.
The change means that all 18-year-olds in Germany will be sent a questionnaire from January 2026 asking if they are interested and willing to join the armed forces. The form will be mandatory for men and voluntary for women. Students at schools across Germany have said they will join strikes in as many as 90 cities on Friday to protest against the move.
Many young Germans either oppose the new law or are sceptical. We don't want to spend half a year of our lives locked up in barracks, being trained in drill and obedience and learning to kill, the organisers of the protests wrote in a statement. They emphasize that war offers no prospects for the future and destroys livelihoods.
In Hamburg alone, about 1,500 people were expected to join the protests. German MPs voted by 323 votes to 272 to back the change, making Germany the latest European country to launch some form of revised military service. The government says military service will be voluntary initially, but if security conditions deteriorate, compulsory service could be reinstated.
Germany's armed forces, currently composed of around 182,000 personnel, are being targeted for an increase of 20,000 over the next year. Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has stressed the importance of conducting universal medical examinations for all 18-year-old men to assess fitness for military service if an emergency arises. This decision follows years of downsizing after the end of the Cold War, which saw the military shrink from almost half a million personnel.
Compulsory military service was abolished in Germany in 2011 under former Chancellor Angela Merkel, but perceived threats from Russia and pressure from allies—including the US—have prompted this policy reversal. With incentives for voluntary service set at around €2,600 a month, the new initiative hopes to significantly bolster troop numbers as Germany reassesses its military strategy in a changed geopolitical landscape.}
The change means that all 18-year-olds in Germany will be sent a questionnaire from January 2026 asking if they are interested and willing to join the armed forces. The form will be mandatory for men and voluntary for women. Students at schools across Germany have said they will join strikes in as many as 90 cities on Friday to protest against the move.
Many young Germans either oppose the new law or are sceptical. We don't want to spend half a year of our lives locked up in barracks, being trained in drill and obedience and learning to kill, the organisers of the protests wrote in a statement. They emphasize that war offers no prospects for the future and destroys livelihoods.
In Hamburg alone, about 1,500 people were expected to join the protests. German MPs voted by 323 votes to 272 to back the change, making Germany the latest European country to launch some form of revised military service. The government says military service will be voluntary initially, but if security conditions deteriorate, compulsory service could be reinstated.
Germany's armed forces, currently composed of around 182,000 personnel, are being targeted for an increase of 20,000 over the next year. Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has stressed the importance of conducting universal medical examinations for all 18-year-old men to assess fitness for military service if an emergency arises. This decision follows years of downsizing after the end of the Cold War, which saw the military shrink from almost half a million personnel.
Compulsory military service was abolished in Germany in 2011 under former Chancellor Angela Merkel, but perceived threats from Russia and pressure from allies—including the US—have prompted this policy reversal. With incentives for voluntary service set at around €2,600 a month, the new initiative hopes to significantly bolster troop numbers as Germany reassesses its military strategy in a changed geopolitical landscape.}
