Overview

• According to multiple reports, CDU/CSU and SPD negotiators favor a lottery to select which young men are summoned for medical screening after mandatory questionnaires, with those drawn potentially required to serve at least six months if volunteers are insufficient.
• Coalition groups plan to review the compromise on Tuesday, brief the public on Wednesday, and move to a first Bundestag reading on Thursday, though neither the factions nor the federal government have officially confirmed the plan.
• Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has been asked to present concrete thresholds and timelines that would trigger any compulsory element under the staged model.
• Proponents say drawing lots for muster would cap the number of examinations and address fairness concerns, with the approach modeled on Denmark where only about one-fifth of those liable are actually drafted.
• SPD leaders emphasize starting with voluntariness, critics warn of legal and equity issues, and a Forsa poll for Stern/RTL shows 54% of Germans currently support reinstating compulsory service.