Overview
- The Bundestag is set for a first reading on Thursday after a planned compromise collapsed and a joint press conference was canceled.
- Defense Minister Boris Pistorius denied torpedoing talks, called the draft deal a "rotten compromise," pushed for full‑cohort mustering, and said the January 1 start date still stands.
- The CDU/CSU favors a staged lottery as a fallback if volunteers fall short, while resistance inside the SPD has stalled a final agreement.
- Germany’s intelligence chiefs warned lawmakers of escalating Russian hybrid attacks and cautioned a conventional strike could come earlier than 2029.
- Following reports of unmarked troops near Estonia’s border, Germany will base four Eurofighters in Malbork, Poland, for patrols as NATO discusses bolstered eastern‑flank deterrence.