Overview

• RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland reported that the coalition partners agreed in principle to use a lottery to select from young men who complete a mandatory questionnaire for medical musters and interviews.
• If volunteer numbers fall short, those drawn by lot could be required to serve for at least six months under the proposed framework.
• Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has been asked to present concrete thresholds for when compulsory elements would apply, and SPD leader Matthias Miersch emphasized there will be no automatic switch to conscription.
• Backers say the lottery would limit the volume of musters and address fairness concerns, drawing on Denmark’s model where only about one fifth are ultimately drafted.
• Coalition groups plan internal talks on Tuesday ahead of the public update, and the cabinet’s existing draft allows conscription with Bundestag consent if a rapid expansion cannot be achieved voluntarily.