Overview

• Starting in January 2026, all 18-year-olds will receive a questionnaire, with men required to respond and women able to do so voluntarily, and non-response subject to a fine.
• Medical screenings (Musterung) will become compulsory for men from 1 July 2027, while the six-month service period remains voluntary under the draft.
• The proposal preserves the option to shift to compulsory call-ups if volunteer numbers prove insufficient, but any such step would need a separate vote in parliament.
• The government aims to build up to about 260,000 active soldiers plus 200,000 reservists and is offering roughly €2,700 gross pay during service while hoping for at least 5,000 volunteers per year, which critics say will not close the shortfall.
• On ZDF’s Markus Lanz, Kanzleramtschef Thorsten Frei defended the plan and declined a categorical pledge that Germans would never serve in Ukraine, saying, “Diese Gefahr besteht ja nicht.”