Overview

• A planned Bundestag introduction and press briefing were canceled after the defense minister’s objections, leaving the bill on hold with talks ongoing and no new timetable.
• The draft would require all 18-year-old men to complete a mandatory questionnaire and, if volunteer targets are missed, use a two-step lottery for screening and potential six-month service, with women excluded absent a constitutional amendment.
• Conservatives insisted on a built-in compulsory backstop, the SPD pushed a voluntary model, and the Greens warned the lottery would amount to conscription through the back door.
• The defense ministry had targeted a January start to add about 5,000 recruits annually toward 260,000 personnel by 2030, though the schedule is now uncertain despite a government spokesman saying January 1 remains the goal.
• The dispute unfolds as the Bundeswehr has roughly 182,000 active troops versus NATO goals of 260,000 active and 200,000 reservists, and a new poll shows 54% support for restoring conscription.