Germany unveils plan to reform military service for young people

Germany unveiled plans on Wednesday for a new military service model as the country seeks to restructure its weakened armed forces following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Under the plan, young men would be required to register for potential military service, although it would still be largely voluntary.

Germany abolished compulsory military service in 2011, but the conflict in Ukraine has reignited debate over whether young men and women should be required to join the military, known as the Bundeswehr.

Presenting the plan on Wednesday, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said the situation facing the armed forces was “completely different to what it was a few years ago.”

“Russia has been waging war against Ukraine for nearly two and a half years now, in violation of international law,” he said.

“According to all international military experts, it must be assumed that Russia will be able to attack NATO countries from 2029 onwards.”

Under the plan, all graduates will receive a questionnaire asking about their interest in the military as well as their health and physical abilities, according to a draft document seen by AFP.

All young males were required to return the questionnaires, while females could return them voluntarily.

Based on their answers, a group of young men and women will be invited to participate in the selection process.

The best candidates will be recruited for an initial six-month military service, with interested candidates having the option to extend their service.

Pistorius said the new model aims to recruit more than 5,000 new recruits each year from 2025, and hopes to increase that number further in the future.

‘first step’

The opposition called on the government to take further steps and reintroduce compulsory conscription.

The conservative Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union voted in May to temporarily reinstate conscription, approving a motion put forward by the party’s youth wing.

The Conservatives have pledged to introduce a year of compulsory community service for young people, which could be completed by joining the army or working in civil society.

But the Youth Corps believed that the implementation of this policy would take too long and, as a stopgap measure, only a limited number of people would be subject to compulsory service for a period of time.

Pistorius has previously hinted that he may be considering returning to compulsory military service in some form.

“If there are not enough volunteers, we must also recruit young people to serve,” he told the Times in May.

But he said on Wednesday that there would be no return to compulsory conscription for the time being, but he also said the new model was a “first step” and “no possibility is ruled out in the future.”

Finance Minister Christian Lindner, from the Free Democrats, called Pistorius’ plan “a step in the right direction.”

“Instead of introducing new compulsory military service, we should get more people interested in serving in the Bundeswehr and strengthen the reserve forces,” he said.

Hiring stagnation

But the Conservatives said the new model did not go far enough and accused Pistorius of watering down the original plan to please opposition voices in Germany’s three-way coalition government.

“It is right to create all the conditions now to introduce compulsory military service,” Conservative MP Florian Hahn told the Funke media group.

Since 2011, military service in Germany has been completely voluntary and consists of serving in the army for 7 to 23 months and participating in civic activities.

The Russian military has struggled to attract new talent since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 as officials have sought to increase troop numbers.

Despite a concerted recruitment drive by the Bundeswehr, only 18,802 new members were recruited in 2023 – just 27 more than in 2022.

According to AFP, members of the German parliament’s defense committee are divided over whether the new model should apply equally to men and women.

However, mandatory military service for women would require amending the German constitution, which Pistorius believes would take too long.