Overview

• CDU/CSU leaders are pushing the SPD for a swift decision on mandatory service to meet NATO’s requirement for up to 260,000 active troops
• Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has won approval to recruit 10,000 additional soldiers and 1,000 civilian staff in 2025 under a confidential budget proposal
• The Bundeswehr currently fields about 181,000 personnel but requires an extra 50,000 to 60,000 soldiers to satisfy alliance commitments
• A YouGov poll shows 54 percent of Germans back reinstating conscription, yet SPD figures insist volunteer incentives must be exhausted first
• SPD defence spokesman Falko Droßmann warned that introducing compulsory service before upgrading infrastructure and terms could undermine long-term recruitment goals