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Germany Reintroduces Voluntary Military Service to Boost Bundeswehr After Bundestag Vote

02:11 AM, 12/06/2025
Germany Reintroduces Voluntary Military Service to Boost Bundeswehr After Bundestag Vote

Germany's Bundestag voted 323-272 on Dec. 5 to reintroduce voluntary military service as part of a wider effort to strengthen defence after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. All 18-year-olds will receive a mandatory questionnaire from January to register interest, though compulsory conscription will not be reinstated and incentives will be used to attract recruits. The move follows similar reforms in France and Denmark and has prompted student protests in up to 90 cities. The government plans to grow active forces to about 260,000 and add roughly 200,000 reservists by 2035.

Germany Reintroduces Voluntary Military Service to Strengthen the Bundeswehr

On Dec. 5, the Bundestag approved a plan to reintroduce voluntary military service as European governments bolster defence postures in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The measure passed by a 323-to-272 vote after a push from Chancellor Olaf Scholz to expand and modernise Germany's armed forces.

Compulsory national service was abolished in 2011 under then-Chancellor Angela Merkel. Under the new scheme, all 18-year-olds — both men and women — will receive a mandatory questionnaire beginning in January to register their interest in military service. The questionnaire does not reinstate compulsory conscription; instead, the government will rely on incentives and recruitment measures to attract volunteers.

Germany is the latest European country to revise its approach to national service. In November, France launched a 10-month voluntary training programme for people aged 18 and older, and Denmark recently announced plans to conscript women as part of broader efforts to increase defence capacity.

Student groups organised protests for Friday in as many as 90 German cities, with organisers estimating more than 1,500 participants expected in Hamburg.

“War offers no prospects for the future and destroys our livelihoods,” protest organisers said.
“We don't want to spend half a year of our lives locked up in barracks, being trained in drill and obedience and learning to kill,” they wrote on social media.

The government aims to expand the Bundeswehr's active personnel from roughly 180,000 to about 260,000 and to build reserves of around 200,000 by 2035.

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