Overview
- Coalition parties agreed on November 13 to pursue a non-compulsory service model, with a draft bill now headed to the Bundestag.
- The proposal requires all 18-year-old men to complete a medical exam and a questionnaire on availability and willingness to serve.
- The text rules out lottery-based conscription, while CDU/CSU leaders say mandatory service could return if volunteer numbers fall short and the defense minister calls that a last resort.
- Germany faces a major personnel gap versus NATO goals, with about 182,000 active troops and 49,000 reservists against targets of 260,000 active and 200,000 reserves.
- The government aims to make service more attractive with pay of roughly €2,600 gross per month plus benefits, as reported by Der Spiegel, and NATO’s secretary general Mark Rutte welcomed the agreement during a visit to Germany.