VOLUNTARY BUT VITAL ⟩ Germany Eyes New Era of Military Service

The chairman of the Armed Forces Union, André Wüstner, called for decisive action to update the conscription system, arguing for some degree of compulsion. He noted that the Bundeswehr workforce has decreased to its lowest level since 2018. “In my opinion, it won’t work solely on a voluntary basis,” he told the DPA news agency.

Mandatory enlistment is likely excluded from Pistorius’ plans due to a lack of government support, with significant opposition from many members of his own Social Democratic Party (SPD). “For me, the priority is voluntarism and creating more incentives for the Bundeswehr’s growth, such as benefits in education or obtaining a driver’s license,” SPD co-leader Lars Klingbeil told the newspaper Tagesspiegel. Chancellor Olaf Scholz has described the Bundeswehr’s personnel shortage as a manageable task.

SPD representative in the Bundestag’s defense committee, Dirk Vöpel, said they support Pistorius’ plan to increase the armed forces' ranks but need to restore the structures dismantled 13 years ago when conscription was abolished, reported Die Welt.

Omid Nouripour, co-leader of the Greens, a coalition partner, called mandatory military service unnecessary in an interview with DPA last year. However, his colleague Sara Nanni promised to approach Pistorius’ proposal constructively while noting that the mandatory component is legally and socially questionable.

The third coalition partner, the Free Democratic Party (FDP), prefers greater involvement of reservists over conscription. In April, party leader and Finance Minister Christian Lindner argued that conscription would harm the economy due to labor shortages. Yesterday, he praised Pistorius on social media for moving in the right direction, calling the increased interest in the Bundeswehr a more sensible approach than compulsion.

Personnel is Key to Military Strength

Conversely, the opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU) supports reintroducing conscription. At their party conference in May, they voted in favor of the idea. Florian Hahn, a member of the parliamentary defense committee, called Pistorius’ plan too modest, especially since the defense minister previously advocated for mandatory military service. “Nine months later, we are left with enhanced voluntary service,” he told Die Zeit.

CDU deputy faction leader Johann Wadephul said on ZDF’s morning program that conscription should be accelerated, arguing that discussing new tanks or aircraft is pointless without personnel. “We need the personnel for that,” he said, adding that women should be equally included in military service. “I believe that gender distinctions should no longer be made.”

Germany’s then-Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg (CDU) suspended mandatory military service in 2011, but the constitutional clause that allows men to be required to serve in the armed forces, border protection, or civil defense organizations still exists. Expanding this requirement would necessitate a constitutional amendment, wrote Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

The Ministry of Defense aims to increase the Bundeswehr’s strength from the current 181,000 soldiers to 203,000, with a long-term goal of growing the army to 270,000 members. NATO and the Bundeswehr estimate that ensuring security requires 460,000 combat-ready soldiers, with about 200,000 on active duty and the remainder as reservists, largely consisting of future conscripts. There are also plans to invite hundreds of thousands of Germans who previously completed military service but are not currently in the reserve to re-enlist.