By Anthony Marcus for Eurasia Business News, December 5, 2025. Article n°1927
Germany’s parliament has approved a new military service law that introduces a “voluntary conscription” model to expand the Bundeswehr, while stopping short of fully restoring classic compulsory national service.
What was approved?
The Bundestag passed a law that creates a framework for systematically registering and medically examining young men, and then recruiting volunteers into short-term military service with improved pay and benefits. The measure is intended to significantly increase the size of the armed forces and reserves by the early‑to‑mid 2030s, in response to perceived threats from Russia and NATO force‑planning requirements.
Is conscription now mandatory?
Under the new scheme, military service itself remains voluntary for now, so Germany has not reintroduced blanket conscription like the pre‑2011 system. However, the law explicitly leaves open the option of “needs‑based” or partial conscription in the future if voluntary recruitment fails to meet legally defined troop targets, which would require a further parliamentary decision.
Who is affected and how?
All male citizens of a certain birth year onward (currently those born in 2008 and later) will be required to complete an online questionnaire at age 18 and then attend mandatory medical examinations at dedicated centers; women can opt in but are not obliged. Those who then choose to serve can sign up for roughly 6–11 months of military service, receive around €2,600 per month before tax plus bonuses for longer commitments, and afterwards transition into the reserve.
Goals for the Bundeswehr
The government wants to move from today’s roughly 180,000–185,000 active soldiers to around 260,000 active personnel and about 200,000 reservists by around 2035, depending on the specific plan cited.
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As of spring 2025, the Bundeswehr has about 182,000 active‑duty soldiers and roughly 81,000 civilian employees, giving a total defense workforce of around 263,000 people. In addition, there are several hundred thousand reservists on the books, with some estimates putting the reserve pool at over 800,000, although only a portion of these are regularly trained and deployable.
The law also obliges the Defense Ministry to report regularly to parliament on recruitment progress, allowing lawmakers to decide later whether stricter conscription measures are necessary.
Political and public reaction
Supporters argue the scheme is needed to fix long‑term under‑manning of the Bundeswehr and to ensure Germany can meet its NATO obligations in a more dangerous security environment since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022. Critics, including protesters and youth groups, warn about pressure on young people, question the effectiveness of quasi‑conscription, and fear it could be a stepping stone toward broader mandatory service.
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© Copyright 2025 – Eurasia Business News. Article no. 1927
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