According to a media report, Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) has established criteria for mandatory conscription in his draft bill on the new military service. The Federal Cabinet should be able to initiate the mandatory call-up of conscripts "with the approval of the German Bundestag," Der Spiegel reported on Monday. This could be done "if the defense policy situation requires it" and not enough volunteers are available for military service.
Conscription should be possible if the defense policy situation "absolutely requires a short-term increase in the armed forces, which cannot be achieved on a voluntary basis," Der Spiegel further quoted from the more than 50-page draft bill. According to the report, mandatory conscription would no longer be dependent on the declaration of a state of tension or conflict.
For the time being, however, military service will continue to be voluntary. It also contains mandatory elements, "such as the mandatory declaration of readiness for men and the reintroduction of conscription from the outset." According to the report, the draft law is now expected to be presented to the cabinet by the end of August, if possible, so that the new military service can begin in 2026 after parliamentary consideration.
Pistorius's plans for the new military service call for a questionnaire to be sent to all young men and women. Men are required to complete it, while women are free to do so. The questionnaire will assess their interest in serving in the Bundeswehr. Suitable candidates will then be invited to the medical examination.
In the event of a conflict, the Bundeswehr would need a total strength of 460,000 soldiers, based on new NATO guidelines. Currently, there are only about 182,000 active soldiers and about 49,000 active reservists. Pistorius is now aiming for at least 60,000 additional active soldiers and a total of 200,000 reservists.
Pistorius's military service plans were met with reservations even within his own party. At the SPD party conference at the end of June, the minister agreed on a formulation according to which, by increasing the attractiveness of military service, "we will achieve the necessary growth of the reserve and the Bundeswehr as a whole."
According to "Spiegel," all military service members will in future be appointed as temporary soldiers. This would entail pay under the Federal Remuneration Act, which is significantly better than the current salaries of so-called voluntary military service members, the magazine reported. There is talk of increases of around 80 percent. The net salary for the new military service would then be over €2,000.
Regarding the length of basic military service, the draft law only states that it should be "determined uniformly," reported "Spiegel." However, it is reportedly initially set at six months.
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