Overview

• A paper backed by 89 Greens proposes a compulsory, gender‑inclusive service of nine to twelve months, starting after full‑time schooling and generally to be completed by age 28, with Bundeswehr service only from 18.
• Participants would choose between the armed forces, civil protection such as fire brigades or THW, or roles in social, ecological, cultural or sporting institutions.
• Initiator Niklas Wagener frames the idea as a cross‑generational civic project rather than a return to past conscription, with calls for fair pay, optional split service, and a pilot phase beginning in 2028.
• The push exposes a party divide as the Green parliamentary group emphasizes voluntariness, party chair Franziska Brantner voices skepticism, and the Green Youth condemns a duty as an intrusion on self‑determination.
• The motion is slated for the late‑November congress subject to an online agenda vote, and supporters also suggest an Enquete Commission, while reporting notes a constitutional change would be required and no clear two‑thirds majority is in sight.