Overview

• The draft requires all 18-year-old men to receive a QR-coded letter for an online questionnaire on service readiness while responding is optional for women.
• Any shift to full conscription under the bill would hinge on explicit approval by the German parliament.
• Berlin aims to boost the Bundeswehr from its current strength of about 180,000 active troops and 49,000 reservists to a combined 460,000 personnel.
• Chancellor Friedrich Merz proposes exempting defence spending from Germany’s constitutional debt brake to finance troop and equipment expansion.
• Defence Minister Boris Pistorius cites assessments of a potential Russian attack by 2029 and notes this year’s 15,000 expected recruits fall short, prompting the hybrid model and incentives such as advanced-technology training and language courses.