Overview
- Union and SPD agreed on a model that requires all young men from the 2008 cohort to undergo compulsory medical and fitness screening, with military service remaining voluntary.
- If volunteer targets are missed, a contingency conscription (Bedarfswehrpflicht) could be activated, which would require a separate Bundestag decision.
- An Insa poll finds 58% support reintroducing cohort-wide muster, 57% expect too few volunteers, and only 31% say they would sign up while 55% would not.
- A Forsa survey for Stern reports 75% back a six‑month universal social duty, with support highest among Green (90%) and Union (86%) voters and lower among AfD and Left voters (62% each).
- Official data show about one in six 2008-born German men hold a second nationality, fueling expert concerns about potential loyalty conflicts and prompting a planned constitution‑loyalty check before voluntary service.