Overview
- Union and SPD agreed to center recruitment on volunteers, sending questionnaires to all 18‑year‑olds from 2026 and rolling out comprehensive medical and aptitude screenings to reach full coverage by mid‑2027.
- A Bedarfswehrpflicht would apply only if volunteer targets are missed, requiring a separate Bundestag decision and allowing random selection among fit candidates with the option of civilian alternative service.
- The package includes about €2,600 gross entry pay, Soldier‑on‑Time status after 12 months, and growth targets for the standing force and reserves, with a corridor of 186,000–190,000 troops in 2026 and 255,000–270,000 by 2035 plus 200,000 reservists.
- Ministers also agreed that Ukrainians arriving after April 1, 2025 will shift from Bürgergeld to lower asylum‑seeker benefits, with cabinet action expected next week; Merz urged young Ukrainians to serve at home, and existing pre‑April cases keep Bürgergeld.
- An EU analysis indicates Germany can apply to forgo taking additional migrants from other member states through the solidarity pool until the end of 2026.