Overview

• Ministers cleared a Wehrdienst bill that relies on voluntary service with incentives, introduces nationwide registration of young men, and allows compulsory service only if parliament later authorizes it.
• The plan targets an eventual force of about 260,000 troops, starting with an intake of roughly 15,000, a questionnaire for 18‑ to 25‑year‑olds, and mandatory musterings beginning in 2027; women may opt in.
• The government proposes higher pay for volunteers, with more than €2,000 net monthly for service members, while the FDP urges added incentives such as covering driver’s license costs and school outreach.
• After CDU minister Johann Wadephul briefly lodged and withdrew a veto, the Union said it will push in the Bundestag for binding annual recruitment targets and an automatic trigger for conscription if goals are missed.
• Criticism mounted from the Bundeswehr association and the Greens, who argue a voluntarist approach risks missing manpower goals, as Merz and Pistorius presented the plan at a rare cabinet session in the Bendlerblock attended by NATO SACEUR Alexus Grynkewich.