Overview

• Chancellery chief Thorsten Frei of the CDU has pressed for a swift decision on whether to scale up the Bundeswehr through reintroduced conscription or continued volunteer enlistment.
• SPD leader Lars Klingbeil has ruled out a mass return to the old draft system while backing legal preparations to enforce mandatory service if volunteer numbers fail to fill the ranks.
• Defence Minister Boris Pistorius plans to propose a new voluntary military service to boost recruitment and include provisions for compulsory call-ups in emergencies.
• The Bundeswehr’s active strength stands at about 180,000 soldiers, below its 203,000 target, and requires an additional 50,000 to 60,000 personnel to meet NATO’s new defense benchmarks.
• A YouGov poll finds that 54 percent of Germans support reinstating mandatory military service to address the army’s staffing shortfall.