Germany wants to build Europe’s strongest army – a new conscription bill is moving that closer

By Sophie Tanno, CNN

(CNN) — This year, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged to build Europe’s strongest army – a tall order for a country whose military has undergone years of neglect.

The coalition government is hoping a new bill agreed upon last week will help make this a reality, bolstering Germany’s forces in the face of the perceived threat from Russia and a significant shift in US foreign policy.

The sweeping new reforms will see Germany attempt to boost its numbers to 260,000 soldiers, up from around 180,000 currently, in addition to an extra 200,000 reservists, by 2035.

In the first instance, the drive will focus on voluntary enlistment, with greater incentives for those who sign up, including a monthly starting salary of €2,600 ($3,000) – an increase of €450 from the current level.

If the new quotas are not met, the government will have the option of mandatory call-ups, where necessary.

From next year, all 18-year-olds will receive a questionnaire about their interest in serving. For men, answering this will be compulsory. From 2027, men aged 18 will also have to undergo mandatory medical examinations.

It comes as the Trump administration warns that Europe must take responsibility for its own security, Russia’s war in Ukraine continues to grind on and experts on the region suggest Moscow could next invade a NATO state.

Minna Ålander, an associate fellow in the Europe Program at London-based think tank Chatham House, believes Germany has the potential to play a key role in conventional defense of Europe, given its central geographical location.

“If the plans to reach the new personnel numbers materialise, it will be great for Europe, but that will likely be sometime in the 2030s,” she said.

Whether this is soon enough remains to be seen.

Germany’s chief of defense, Gen. Carsten Breuer, said in a June interview with the BBC that NATO should prepare for a possible Russian attack within the next four years – possibly as early as 2029 – urging member states to be prepared.

Ahead of the new bill, the coalition partners – the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and center-left Social Democratic Union (SPD) – had wrangled for weeks over what kind of military service should be introduced. One idea was a “lottery-style conscription,” which would have seen a draw used to select young men for medical screening, and then another to call them up for service.

That proposal was ultimately scrapped by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who instead said enlistments should center around incentives such as better pay and other financial compensation.

Germany previously had mandatory military service for males aged 18-23, but this was suspended in 2011 in favor of an all-voluntary army.

The deal still needs to be approved in Germany’s Parliament, or Bundestag, with lawmakers expected to vote on it by the end of the year. If that happens, it would come into effect on January 1, 2026.

Pistorius, of the SPD, welcomed the move while seeking to reassure those affected. “There is no reason for concern, no reason for fear,” he said after the agreement was announced last week

“Because the lesson is quite clear: The more capable our armed forces are of deterrence and defense, through armament, training and personnel, the less likely we are to become involved in a conflict at all.”

Pistorius suggested Berlin’s new military system could set an example for other European allies. “Everybody is watching what we are doing,” he said.

“I am in close contact with (French Prime Minister) Sebastian Lecornu and his successor, and, of course, with UK and with other countries. … And our new model of conscription is quite modern. It is very modern. And it might be able to be an example for other countries too? I don’t know, but it might be.”

But the changes remain contentious, with many, particularly in Germany’s political left, disagreeing with the reintroduction of any mandatory conscription. A Forsa poll published by newspaper Die Welt in October – before the reforms were announced – indicated that 80% of voters for Germany’s left-wing Die Linke party opposed the idea.

Ålander believes however that achieving the quotas without resorting to mandatory call-ups is not unrealistic, given the size of Germany’s population.

“If the government and armed forces managed to improve the perception of the armed forces significantly and motivate young people to start considering military service as a ‘normal’ choice, the goal could be reached with voluntary participation alone,” she told CNN.

But, she added, “My concern is that if an obligatory military service is imposed on a skeptical population, it could push more young people to the extreme right and extreme left.”

The reluctance of young people in Germany to be subject to mandatory conscription is clear. Speaking to CNN, one 17-year-old recognized the importance of Germany to be able to defend itself while expressing doubt about wanting to fight.

“Of course it’s important to be able to defend ourselves. But that’s why we’re in the NATO alliance. … I love Germany. I wouldn’t say I want to fight for this country now. … I have a different life in mind than being at war,” he said.

Leonid Bekjarov, 21, supported the increased investment in Germany’s military. “It has become so soft and has been neglected,” he said.

He too questioned the idea of mandatory conscription, however. “I also think it’s terrible that (Russia) attacked Ukraine. But I am absolutely against war, and a little strengthening of the military is a good thing – funds have already been allocated for this – but now compulsory military service for everyone and having to go there, I think that’s wrong.”

Others who spoke to CNN expressed concern that their education would go to waste if they were called up for service.

Official figures also offer an insight into German public opinion. The number of applications for conscientious objector status has shot up since the start of the war in Ukraine, particularly as talk of resuming conscription has intensified. From the beginning of this year until October 25, 3,034 people applied to be recognized as such, government records show – the highest since mandatory military service was paused in 2011.

Decades of neglect

Germany’s armed forces, or Bundeswehr, have been chronically underfunded since the Cold War.

For three decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall, military expenditure remained below 2% of the country’s GDP – below NATO targets – amid a lack of perceived threats, taboo around Germany’s military might and a strongly pacifist national mindset following the Nazi era.

Then came Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Amid calls within Europe to be “war-ready,” this triggered a significant shift in the country’s outlook. Then-Chancellor Olaf Scholz proclaimed a “Zeitenwende” – or “period of change” – leading to the creation of a special fund of €100 billion ($116 billion) to modernize the Bundeswehr.

In June 2024, Germany set aside its unease over its military past to mark its first Veteran’s Day since World War Two, with new legislation stating that the day should be celebrated “publicly and visibly” every year on June 15.

This attitudinal shift only deepened after Merz took office earlier this year, with the new chancellor not only pledging to turn Germany’s armed forces into “Europe’s strongest conventional army” but also committing to doubling defense spending to meet new NATO targets.

“(Russian President Vladimir) Putin only understands the language of power,” Merz said at the time.

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