Overview

• The Bundeswehr currently fields about 180,000 active soldiers and aims to expand to 260,000 active personnel and a total force of 460,000 including reserves by 2029.
• André Wüstner, head of the Bundeswehrverband, calls for immediate administrative measures to launch a new service model that pairs voluntary enlistment with a standby draft requiring 18–20 months to implement.
• Chancellor Friedrich Merz has pledged unrestricted defense funding to transform Germany’s army into Europe’s conventionally strongest force in response to Russian threats and potential U.S. troop reductions.
• Defense experts have proposed a “Wehrpflicht light” system that would automatically activate conscription if fewer than 5,000 recruits volunteer in a given year, reflecting models adopted in Sweden.
• A 2024 survey found 54 percent of men and 44 percent of women across all age groups support reinstating some form of compulsory military service.