After a long struggle, the Union and the SPD reached an agreement regarding military service. This is the most important point.
Politicians from the Union and the SPD have agreed on a comprehensive pattern and targets for the new military service for the sake of troop growth. If there are too few volunteers, the Bundestag should be able to decide what constitutes conscription, which could also use a random selection process, as the German Press Agency in Berlin studied.
The Bundestag decides to impose military conscription
“The Bundestag decides based on law on the establishment of conscription, especially if the situation of defense policy or the situation of armed forces personnel requires this,” he said of the mandatory portion. Conscription serves to close possible gaps between the needs of the armed forces and the actual number of volunteers.
There have been changes to previous plans regarding the status of soldiers in the new military service. “Voluntary military service as a special civilian commitment will be maintained. From the twelve month commitment period, temporary soldier status (SAZ 1) will be implemented,” he said. Previously, the plan was for all new military conscripts to immediately become temporary soldiers.
There is no automatic mechanism to activate conscription
“If the number of conscripts in a particular year exceeds the need, after applying military service exemptions and all other measures, the random selection process can be used as a last resort. There will be no automatic mechanism to activate conscription,” he said. There has been a dispute regarding the issue of assignments.
In October, the Unity faction halted a law on new military service that had been passed by the cabinet due to concerns. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) wants the military service law to come into force in early 2026.
The Bundeswehr will grow significantly
Due to the threat from Russia and resulting changes in NATO planning, the Bundeswehr is expected to increase by approximately 80,000 to 260,000 men and women in the standing army. There will also be 200,000 reserve troops, the number of which will be increased mainly by the new military services.
However, the previous target of 203,000 troops was never achieved. Politicians from the European Union in particular have repeatedly doubted whether voluntary measures would be enough to guarantee a sufficiently rapid expansion of the Bundeswehr. However, in the coalition negotiations, the SPD won with its demands for voluntary participation.
Military service was suspended in 2011
Military conscription was suspended in 2011, but still refers to the Constitution. It can be reinstated by a simple majority in the Bundestag and also comes into force if the Bundestag determines a case of suspense or defence.
The Constitution provides for mandatory military service for men. There is ongoing discussion regarding the question of whether and how women should be involved, although there is currently no evidence that a majority supports changes to the Constitution.
