Overview

• Merz told TF1 a return to compulsory service could be needed and said extending it to women would require constitutional change.
• The cabinet’s draft approved on August 27 establishes 2026 information letters to all 18-year-olds and mandatory medical screenings for men from July 2027.
• Pay for Wehrdienstleistende would rise to Zeitsoldaten levels, with an 18-year-old rifleman earning €2,706.99 gross (about €2,320.86 net).
• CDU figures, including Thomas Röwekamp, want numeric thresholds to automatically trigger call-ups, while SPD’s Falko Droßmann signaled openness to discuss changes.
• Germany fields about 182,000 troops against a goal of at least 260,000 active personnel and 200,000 reservists, with roughly 31,000 men in Hesse’s 2008 cohort expected to receive the 2026 letter.