Overview
- All 18-year-olds will receive questionnaires next year, with men required to respond and women able to do so voluntarily, before nationwide screening of men begins on 1 July 2027.
- Military service remains optional at this stage, with a demand-based draft requiring a Bundestag vote if volunteer numbers fall short, potentially using a lottery and reinstating civilian service for objectors.
- The plan pairs recruitment with capacity upgrades, including raising entry pay to about €2,600 gross, establishing up to 24 assessment centers by end‑2026, modular barracks construction through 2031, and semiannual reporting to parliament.
- A new Insa poll finds 58% support for compulsory screening, 57% doubt that volunteer targets will be met, and only 31% say they would volunteer themselves.
- Pistorius says the legislation is slated for a Bundestag vote within weeks to take effect by year-end, as youth reactions range from support for civic options to concerns over a potential lottery and unequal obligations for women.