Berlin agrees on new military service: voluntary or compulsory?

Berlin agrees on new military service: voluntary or compulsory?

An agreement was reached in Berlin on a new model for military service. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD), together with the coalition factions, including the faction leaders Jens Spahn (CDU) and Matthias Miersch (SPD), presented a bill that aims to be voluntary. This is reported by the Small newspaper.

The draft stipulates that the Bundeswehr will muster all 18-year-olds from mid-2027, but there is no obligation to serve. However, an automatic military conscription, as demanded by the Union, is viewed critically. According to the compromise proposal, if there are insufficient numbers of volunteers, men should be compelled to do military service by lottery. However, this idea was rejected by Minister Pistorius, delaying the official announcement of the agreement.

Details of the Military Service Modernization Act

Pistorius remains confident that an agreement on the “military service modernization law” will be reached soon. The draft law is scheduled to be passed on December 5th. From January 2026, 18-year-olds who declare themselves ready for military service will have to fill out a questionnaire on readiness for military service, physical performance and educational qualifications. For women, however, these ideas are voluntary, as is the case Deutschlandfunk reported.

Particular attention will also be paid to the reintroduction of the replacement service, which will also become mandatory again. However, the details are still pending here. A survey has shown that since the Ukraine conflict, 53% of the population supports a return to compulsory military service. However, younger people, aged 16 to 29, show lower agreement at just 42%.

Legal and social implications

In this context, reference is also made to the right to refuse military service, which is laid down in the Basic Law. Applications for conscientious objection have increased since the Ukraine conflict, with around 1,100 applications filed in 2023. By August 2025 there had already been around 2,100 applications. The Federal Student Conference calls for a broader discussion in which young people should be involved in decision-making.

After community service was abolished in 2011 with the suspension of compulsory military service, charities have now expressed concerns about the shortage of staff in the care sector. The access route for applications for conscientious objection requires submitting a CV and justification to the Bundeswehr Career Center, with advice available from various organizations.

In view of the current foreign policy security situation, particularly with regard to Russia, the government coalition aims to increase the number of temporary and professional soldiers from 180,000 to 260,000 by 2035.