German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius on Wednesday proposed that the country require young men to register for potential military service, in a move that comes 13 years after Germany effectively abolished national conscription.
Pistorius presented the plan as the basis for a rapid reinforcement of Germany's military, known as the Bundeswehr, which has seen recruitment numbers flag.
From the pool of 400,000 candidates in a given year, an initial 5,000 additional conscripts are intended to be recruited each year from 2025 onwards, with more to follow. "The aim is to let this number grow year on year and thus increase capacities," said Pistorius, adding: "We have to manage this growth."
The new model will consist of basic military service of six months with an option for additional voluntary military service of up to an additional 17 months.
The step would not reinstate conscription. Pistorius instead stressed that he anticipates using the registration questionnaires to see who might have interest in voluntarily doing service with the Bundeswehr.
Pistorius described the idea as "selective military service," designed to allow the military to call up only "the fittest, most suitable and most motivated" for training.
Young men would be required to fill out the questionnaires, but young women would also be given copies and be asked to voluntarily submit the form as well, Pistorius said at a news conference on Wednesday afternoon.
Pistorius said that's because the military service requirement, which remains in Germany's constitution, applies only to men.
The threat situation is completely different to just a few years ago and Russia is waging a war against Ukraine in violation of international law, Pistorius said in justification.
Russia has massively increased its defence spending, is stockpiling weapons systems and has switched to a war economy. "The verbal attacks against NATO countries and other neighbouring states are visibly and audibly increasing," Pistorius said.
Around 40,000 expected to be mustered
Pistorius said that military planners estimate that 400,000 people will have to complete the planned questionnaire each year, and about a quarter of the men could express an interest in entering the military.
Some 40,000 candidates could then take part in the physical check-up. That call-up would be mandatory for those who receive it, but Pistorius stressed that he anticipates only summoning those who indicate a voluntary interest.
"We don't want a boring, meaningless military service," Pistorius said. "But rather a military service that is meaningful and makes sense."
Pistorius said: "According to estimates by the Bundeswehr and NATO, we need around 200,000 more reservists. That means we are talking about a total of around 460,000 soldiers."
The target is therefore 203,000 standing forces, 60,000 current reservists and 200,000 additional reservists. The Bundeswehr currently has just under 181,000 men and women and around 60,000 reservists.
The proposal represents a first step towards potentially reinstating some form of mandatory military service, a controversial issue in Germany, and would require a change to the military service law.
Pistorius stressed on Wednesday that no one would be forced to serve in the military against their will or beliefs: "Of course people will have the right to refuse military service. That remains unchanged."
Those who sign up will receive more than €1,800 ($1,952) per month and a bonus of, for example, €5,000 if they sign up for more than six months.
Military struggling to recruit
Germany effectively abolished conscription in 2011 after 55 years, with a system that also generally allowed men to opt out of the military and do civilian service instead.
Although many of the institutions and facilities for the conscription system have since been dismantled, the country's law continues to allow for mandatory service in the event of war or other tensions.
The Bundeswehr has struggled to recruit enough volunteers to fill the ranks, and last year shrank to 181,500 soldiers despite new efforts to attract volunteers.
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has put the military's shortfalls into renewed focus, and Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged to rebuild the armed forces as a reaction in what he called a turning point, or Zeitenwende in German.
Adding more recruits is intended to help make the army "war-ready," as Pistorius described it.
Pistorius commissioned studies of various models of compulsory service ahead of Wednesday's announcement.
Mixed reaction from politicians
The proposal met with a mixed response from leading German politicians in parliament. The idea of bringing back compulsory military service is very controversial in the country.
Some lawmakers welcomed the proposal as a useful idea to address military manpower shortages, even as many expressed hesitation over the mandatory elements.
Bundeswehr association sees test case for "Zeitenwende"
The chairman of the Bundeswehr Association, Colonel André Wüstner, had called for decisive steps to be taken in favour of a new military service before Pistorius' plans became known.
Personnel numbers in the Bundeswehr had fallen this month to their lowest level since 2018, Wüstner told dpa in Berlin.
"In the coming days, it will become clear who has actually achieved a turning point, at least in terms of defence policy, since the turning point was proclaimed," said Wüstner.
"Because anyone who claims this - and I hope that at least the specialized politicians do - will not be able to make a blanket statement against a new form of military service or a new type of compulsory military service."
Chancellor Olaf Scholz declared a "Zeitenwende," or historic turning point, in the country's defence policy following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
