Overview

• Ministers approved legislation to introduce a modernized Wehrdienst based largely on volunteers, sending the bill to the Bundestag for debate and a final vote.
• Key measures include an online questionnaire for 18‑year‑old men with optional participation for women, mandatory medical screening from 2027, an initial cohort of roughly 15,000, and pay of over €2,000 net per month for service members classified as Zeitsoldaten.
• The program is designed to help reach NATO planning levels of about 260,000 active troops, implying a need for roughly 80,000 additional soldiers and a stronger reserve base.
• A political fight continues as the CDU/CSU demands automatic triggers tied to recruitment shortfalls to reintroduce conscription, while the SPD insists any activation should be decided by parliament.
• Alongside the service bill, the cabinet approved a Nationaler Sicherheitsrat in the Chancellery and expanded powers for the military counterintelligence service MAD, as Bundeswehr representatives and the soldiers’ association warned that reliance on volunteers may fall short.