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Germany Approves Hybrid Military Service Plan With Mandatory Muster for 18-Year-Old Men

The compromise prioritizes voluntary service with incentives, leaving any compulsory call-ups to a later parliamentary decision.

Overview

  • All 18-year-olds will receive questionnaires next year to assess interest and suitability, with responses mandatory for men.
  • Conscription medical examinations will begin with those born in 2008, scaling up to call all men in a year-group for muster from summer 2027.
  • Voluntary recruits are to receive €2,600 per month as part of efforts to boost enlistment.
  • The government set a growth path toward roughly 260,000 active soldiers and about 200,000 reservists, up from around 180,000 currently.
  • Any compulsory enlistment would require a Bundestag vote and use a lottery only as a last resort, with an earlier double-lottery concept dropped.