Overview
- Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and CDU defense chair Thomas Röwekamp both said they expect a coalition agreement on the reform this week.
- The package keeps a compulsory questionnaire for all 18-year-old men starting next year and a largely binding medical screening for about 200,000 of roughly 300,000 in each cohort.
- Service would begin on a voluntary basis with legally defined compulsory backstops if numbers fall short, though the exact trigger and selection method remain undecided.
- A random lottery to draft several thousand for six-month service is under discussion against targeted selection by fitness or qualifications, with Pistorius opposing a lottery and Röwekamp calling it suitable.
- Coalition leaders plan to lock in the deal by Thursday for a Bundestag vote on December 5 and an entry into force on January 1, as youth groups protest and the Bundeswehr association urges a rapid switch mechanism to meet force goals of about 260,000 active troops and 200,000 reservists.