Overview
- Voluntary service remains the primary path, with a Bundestag‑triggered needs‑based conscription only if recruitment targets are missed.
- All 18‑year‑olds will receive a screening questionnaire starting in 2026; men must respond while women may do so voluntarily.
- Whole year groups of men born from 2008 onward will be mustered, with mass mustering ramping up from mid‑2027.
- If volunteer numbers fall short, a lottery can be used to select those required to serve, replacing an earlier double‑lottery idea.
- The reform is geared to grow the force to about 260,000 active troops plus roughly 200,000 reservists to meet NATO requirements.