Germany wants to have ‘voluntary conscription’, boys have to complete a survey

This article was last updated on August 27, 2025

Canada: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…
USA: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…

Germany wants to have ‘voluntary conscription’, boys have to complete a survey

A questionnaire for young people in Germany who has to fill in boys must help the army to more soldiers. That is stated in a bill that the German government has submitted. The plan is called a “voluntary service”.

If the plan is approved, young men and women will receive a letter from the army on their 18th birthday from next year. There is a survey in the envelope. The answers to this offer the Ministry of Defense a picture of the enthusiasm for working in the army. It must also become clear how suitable the young people consider themselves to do so.

Suitable candidates are invited for a medical check. The process is aimed at making the registration easier. No concrete numbers are mentioned how many extra soldiers the proposed law must yield.

Disagreement within coalition

Ministers had gathered today at the headquarters of the Ministry of Defense to make decisions about the plan. Within the coalition there was disagreement about how far the measures should go.

German media speak of a final plan with “a little duty”. A return to overall conscription is not excluded if the result of the action is disappointing.

Minister of Defense Pistorius has already said in a radio interview that he is expecting one hundred thousand extra registrations. He said that this will be achieved before the end of this decade.

Germany Correspondent Chiem Balduk:

“The term ‘voluntary conscription’ shows that it is a long -discussed political compromise. Defense minister Pistorius had to compromise between coalition party CDU, who wants a return to ‘normal’ conscription, and his own SPD, which wants as little coercion as possible. Moreover, the Bundeswehrs and resident at the same time, cannot be repeated at the same time.

The political struggle has not yet been fought, because the question is whether this system leads to sufficient new growth. Colleague Minister Wadephul of the CDU therefore threatened to block the plan with a veto. He finds it too without obligation and wants the overall conscription if the numbers are left behind. That will undoubtedly still produce fierce debates in the Bundestag, which still has to vote on the proposal.

Germany previously had a conscription, but it was abolished in 2011. The army currently employs around 182,000 soldiers. The new objective is to have more than a quarter of a million people in the army in 2035, including professional soldiers and conscripts.

Under Chancellor Merz, many dozens of billions are put into the reconstruction of the army. In addition to increasing the number of soldiers, there are also plans to buy thousands of armored vehicles. Due to the German war past, strengthening the armed forces is sensitive. According to the government, this step is needed to protect Ukraine and the rest of Europe against Russia.

NATO wants stronger armies

NATO countries have agreed a new standard at the top in The Hague this year for defense spending. Previously that was 2 percent of the gross domestic product, from 2030 it must have grown to 3.5 percent of GDP. In addition, another 1.5 percent must be spent on, for example, infrastructure that also benefits the army.

Part of the NATO member states has not yet achieved the old 2 percent standard. In five years, not all 32 countries will probably meet the new objective. For example, the Spanish government has indicated that the country will try to achieve the so-called capacity objectives of the military alliance with less than 3.5 percent of defense spending.

Share article: