Overview
- The coalition set a growth path to roughly 260,000 active soldiers and about 200,000 reservists from a current force of around 180,000.
- All 18-year-olds will receive recruitment questionnaires next year, with responses mandatory for men, to gauge motivation and suitability for service.
- Voluntary recruits would receive €2,600 per month, reflecting the plan’s emphasis on boosting numbers without immediate conscription.
- If targets are missed, needs-based conscription could be introduced with random selection as a last resort, and there will be no automatic trigger.
- Negotiators scrapped the proposed ‘double lottery’ and agreed on a single medical examination framework, with legal details and activation thresholds to be finalized in parliament; Defense Minister Boris Pistorius projects 3,000–5,000 conscripts per year from 2026 if required.