Overview
- The Bundestag approved a measure that restores voluntary service and allows a future parliamentary vote to activate mandatory conscription if recruitment falls short.
- Implementation steps begin with questionnaires to 18-year-olds in January 2026, followed by phased medical examinations for males born in 2008 starting in mid-2027.
- Participation rules require 18-year-old men to respond to the questionnaire while women may opt in for screening.
- Defense targets envision expanding active troops from roughly 180,000 to about 255,000–260,000 and growing the reserve toward 200,000 by 2035.
- Protests and school walkouts were reported in roughly 90 cities, including about 3,000 in Berlin, as Defense Minister Boris Pistorius defended the plan and urged readiness to protect the country’s way of life.