Overview

• Under the draft, questionnaires will go to all young men and women next year, men must respond, and mandatory medical screening for 18-year-old men begins in July 2027.
• The government pairs the model with incentives, including raising basic-training pay from €1,800 to €2,700 per month, bonuses for longer service, and benefits such as partial driver’s license reimbursement and training opportunities.
• CSU leader Markus Söder called the proposal a "questionnaire army" and demanded an immediate return to universal conscription, citing the Russian threat and warning that NATO could be tested as early as 2027–2029.
• Left politician Bodo Ramelow argued against reinstating the draft and floated extending compulsory schooling by a social year, letting young people choose social or military service.
• A new ifo study estimates large societal costs from broad compulsory service, including roughly 12% lower lifetime wealth for conscripts and multi‑billion‑euro annual impacts, concluding that a professional-force approach would be cheaper.