Germany’s coalition government has approved a package of defence reforms that includes controversial changes to military service law, a move widely seen as a step towards the reintroduction of conscription.
The legislation, agreed on August 27 by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) cabinet, aims to strengthen the country’s defence capabilities, deemed necessary against the backdrop of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In many respects, the measures resemble those proposed by the previous coalition, comprised of the SPD, The Greens and the Free Democratic Party (FDP).
At the heart of the bill is a phased system for recruiting young people into the armed forces. Starting in 2027, all 18-year-old men would be subject to health checks which determine their fitness to serve. Until then, they would be legally required to complete an online questionnaire aimed at gauging their willingness to serve.
Women may fill out the questionnaire voluntarily, and Germans born in 2001 would receive information packs, and can also volunteer.
The package also contains several measures aimed at shoring up Germany’s defences against cyberattacks and improving its counterintelligence capabilities. The Military Counterintelligence Service has, for example, been granted the authority to operate beyond military barracks in countries where German personnel are stationed.
Domestic military police will also receive increased powers to patrol the areas around barracks, where they had previously only exercised authority in the barracks themselves.
Division over recruitment
The sticking point within government, and the element of the legislation which has been the principal subject of public debate, is the question of how to most effectively recruit the required contingent of soldiers.
The solution devised by the cabinet contains a mix of measures based on compulsion and voluntary service. Such plans bear the signs of a delicate compromise between the coalition parties, but politicians from most parties in the Bundestag, the lower house of the German federal parliament, have criticised the proposal.
Thomas Röwekamp, who leads the Bundestag defence select committee, told German newspaper Rheinische Post that the army needed to make up for a shortage of 80,000 full-time soldiers and 140,000 reservists.
Röwekamp, a CDU member, also said he had “significant doubts as to whether this could be achieved through voluntary service alone”. The politician also called for binding annual targets and a mechanism for automatic conscription if quotas are missed.
“We need a means for automatic conscription in the legislation if we do not reach these stages [of military recruitment],” he further noted.
According to the defence ministry’s own estimates, the army would require between 370,000 and 460,000 soldiers to be war-ready for a conflict involving all members of NATO. Currently, there are 182,000 active servicemen and women.
Responding to these criticisms, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius from the SPD claimed that the government could not yet set specific targets for recruitment, as there is not enough capacity for training and accommodation in barracks.
The model adopted by the coalition government resembles the system of recruitment used in Sweden closely, but unlike its NATO ally, the German government would be able to implement a general draft at times of increased danger to national security, even if an immediate state of war or extraordinary tension did not exist.
Pushback from allies and opponents
Confusion over whether the bill revives conscription has fueled public backlash. For one, Patrick Sensburg, President of the Reservists’ Union, clarified that “the only duty is that people have to answer a questionnaire.”
Meanwhile, Britta Haßelmann, Chairwoman of the Greens’ Bundestag contingent has claimed that the cabinet’s decision “cannot cover up that the Union [CDU] and the SPD are at odds on the question of compulsory or voluntary service”.
Haßelmann called for an “ambitious strategy for voluntary recruitment”, highlighting her view that the army had “by a long stretch not exhausted its potential as an attractive employer by means of voluntary recruitment.”
The Left Party rejected the legislation outright. Spokeswoman Desiree Becker claimed that it “carries the appearance of voluntarism,” when, in fact, it was “paving the way for a return to conscription”.
Such opposition to the potential reintroduction of conscription is widespread among those young people who would be affected, with advice centres that offer guidance on refusing military service reporting significant increases in traffic to their websites since the government announced its decision.
Michael Schulze von Glaßer, Chief of Political Affairs for civil society organization German Peace Society- Opponents of Military Service (DFGVK), told journalists that the organisation’s website had logged 54,496 visits- more than double the figure in May 2025.
Beyond conscription
Other measures in the package expand Germany’s cyber and counterintelligence defenses. The Military Counterintelligence Service will be allowed to operate outside German barracks abroad, while domestic military police will regain new authority to patrol surrounding areas.
Voluntary recruits will also receive pay and benefits equal to career soldiers, including free healthcare and enhanced education for civilian careers.
In response to a request for comment on the public criticisms of the proposed law, a spokeswoman for the Defence Ministry told EU Reports that it is a “collective decision by the federal government.”
“It was preceded by intensive but fair discussions and votes between the ministries. Differing points of view are an important means for synchronising such a prominent project. Societal discourse is also of decisive importance for this. Our minister, among others, has already spoken publicly on this several times,” she stressed.
Simply put, “orientation towards the Swedish model is particularly important to us. We are building on the principle of voluntary service.”
For the Defence Ministry, then, an attractive framework of conditions and meaningful service are at the forefront.
Featured image: Jürgen Nauditt via X.
