German cabinet passes bill for voluntary military service, paves way for conscription to bolster defence

Germany’s cabinet passed a draft bill on Wednesday that would introduce a voluntary military service as the country seeks to bolster national defences over Russian security concerns. It will also open the door for the reintroduction of compulsory enlistment. The bill is part of a move to bolster German national defences, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The government hopes the voluntary six-month scheme will help double the number of trained reservists from around 100,000 now and that some of them will go on to have a career in active service.

Compulsory military service in Germany was ended in 2011 under then-Chancellor Angela Merkel, and it has since struggled to meet troop targets.

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.”

WATCH: German jets scramble to intercept Russian spy plane

Pistorius wants to increase soldiers to meet new NATO force targets

Defence Minister Boris Pistorius wants to increase the number of soldiers from 180,000 to 260,000 by the early 2030s to meet new NATO force targets. Germany’s plans also follow calls by US President Donald Trump for Europe to take more responsibility for its own defence.

The Merz government has loosened borrowing restrictions to enable a surge in defence spending.

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.

The government has said that military service would be voluntary for as long as possible, but if the security situation worsens or if too few volunteers come forward, the government could decide to use compulsion with the approval of the German parliament, the Bundestag.

In recent years, the defence ministry has increased advertising campaigns and career events to recruit soldiers, and the results are showing.

The Bundeswehr has reported a 28% increase in the number of new recruits in the first six months of this year compared to last year.

Plan faces criticism from coalition partner

Some members of Pistorius’s Social Democrat party, the junior coalition partner, have criticised the plan, saying the Bundeswehr should be made a more attractive employer rather than re-introducing compulsory service.

Members of Chancellor Merz’s conservatives warn that the insistence on approval by the Bundestag for reintroducing conscription could delay matters a lot.

Meanwhile, anti-war group Rheinmetal Entwaffnen said in a post on social media, “We want nothing to do with the wars of the ruling classes and are not prepared to die for a country that is increasingly cutting back on all social infrastructure. We will not fight your wars!”

Cabinet approves creation of National Security Council

The German government has also approved the establishment of a National Security Council (NSR) for streamlining security policy and decision-making in times of crisis.

The NSR, to be chaired by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, will meet regularly and will include key ministers as well as officials from allied countries and organizations, including the European Union and NATO.

“Russia has long been carrying out hybrid attacks against us,” said Merz, highlighting “massive interference” in German democracy and targeted attacks on IT security.