Overview
- Union and SPD agreed on a new service model with nationwide medical screening, clear growth targets for the Bundeswehr and roughly €2,600 monthly pay for volunteers.
- A conditional Bedarfswehrpflicht would be activated only by a separate Bundestag law if volunteer numbers fall short, with a possible random selection and no automatic trigger.
- Implementation details include questionnaires to all 18-year-olds and mustering starting with men from the 2008 cohort in early 2026, with the standing force targeted to rise toward 255,000–270,000 by 2035.
- The coalition also settled on a Rechtskreiswechsel: Ukrainians who arrived after 1 April 2025 shift from Bürgergeld to Asylbewerberleistungen, with cabinet approval expected next week; Chancellor Merz urged young Ukrainian men to serve in their country as Labor Minister Bas voiced misgivings but pledged to implement.
- Fiscal and operational frictions persist, with projected Bürgergeld savings offset by higher Länder/municipal costs under Asylleistungen, active probes into the Erding police–Bundeswehr shootout, and NRW documents showing state chancellery pressure over plans for a second detention facility.