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13m ago

Bundestag Review of Wehrdienst Bill Pushed Back After Union Block as Söder Demands Conscription

The Union is holding out for concrete troop growth targets with explicit rules for activating conscription.

Boris Pistorius
Image
Bundesverteidigungsminister Boris Pistorius (SPD) hat die Union scharf für ihre Blockade seines Wehrdienstgesetzes kritisiert. Das Verhalten der Unionsfraktion sei "fahrlässig", sagte der SPD-Politiker dem "Handelsblatt".
Die CDU/CSU-Regierungsfraktion stoppt die Beratung im Bundestag zum geplanten neuen Gesetz für einen attraktiveren Wehrdienst. (Symbolbild)

Overview

  • CDU/CSU halted the planned first reading of the Wehrdienst-Modernisierungsgesetz, with the item expected to be removed from Monday’s agenda and debate now signaled for the following sitting week.
  • Defense Minister Boris Pistorius called the move reckless, warning it could delay the new service model and the reintroduction of nationwide registration of 18-year-olds.
  • CSU leader Markus Söder intensified criticism of the voluntary-first design, branding it a “Wischiwaschi-Wehrpflicht” and urging a rapid return to compulsory service.
  • The draft would restart registration via questionnaires (mandatory for men, voluntary for women), begin with voluntary service, and allow conscription if needed without an automatic trigger or fixed thresholds.
  • Union figures cite recent NATO airspace violations to justify tougher measures, while SPD lawmakers point to rising voluntary sign-ups as they seek to move the bill forward toward targets of about 260,000 active personnel and 200,000 reservists.