Overview

• The cabinet-approved draft initiates questionnaires to all 18-year-olds from next year, with men required to respond and women able to do so voluntarily.
• Suitable candidates will be selected for assessments, which become mandatory for men from 1 July 2027; a new legal clause empowers the government to order call-ups by regulation if needed, subject to parliamentary oversight.
• CSU leader Markus Söder denounced the plan as a “questionnaire army” and renewed his demand for a swift return to general conscription, citing Russian threats, while the government expressed confidence in volunteer numbers.
• The reform aims to expand the active force toward roughly 260,000 troops and relies on higher pay and benefits to attract recruits, including significantly increased monthly compensation and training incentives.
• Debate widened with leftist politician Bodo Ramelow urging a compulsory social year as an alternative, as ifo-Institute research highlighted large economic costs for broad conscription and suggested a professional force could be more efficient.