The debate comes just days after the Federal Cabinet approved Defense Minister Boris Pistorius’s (SPD) new military service model, which is designed to strengthen the Bundeswehr’s personnel base. The model relies heavily on voluntary participation, with no immediate return to full conscription. However, under the new plan, all young men men will be required to complete a questionnaire from 2026; women may do so voluntarily.
Starting in July 2027, all 18-year-old men will also undergo a mandatory medical examination, even if they do not volunteer. The government aims to expand the Bundeswehr from today’s 182,000 troops to at least 260,000 soldiers, supported by 200,000 reservists.
The law also foresees the possibility of reactivating conscription, which was suspended in 2011, if recruitment targets are not met or the security situation deteriorates. In such a case, all men between 18 and 60 could be drafted. The CDU/CSU opposition, however, has criticized the model for not including a binding mechanism that would automatically trigger conscription if personnel goals fall short.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) has called for a public debate on whether compulsory military service in Germany should also apply to women.
Speaking on Monday in Münster, Merz said he could “imagine” extending conscription to women if Germany were to reintroduce mandatory service. He pointed out, however, that the Basic Law currently provides for military service only for men. “Whether this is still appropriate and whether it may need to be changed is something that needs to be discussed politically and socio-politically,” the chancellor said.
Merz stressed that the suitability of women for military service is beyond question. “The question of whether women can perform military service has been answered. Whether they must perform military service has not been answered,” he noted. At the same time, he emphasized that compulsory service for women is not currently on the government’s agenda.
Article 12a of Germany’s Basic Law stipulates that general military service applies only to men. “Men can be conscripted into service in the armed forces, the Federal Border Guard, or a civil defense unit from the age of 18,” the first paragraph states.
The fourth paragraph also sets out a more specific obligation for women: between the ages of 18 and 55, they can be called up for medical services in hospitals or field hospitals if there are not enough volunteers available in the event of a defense emergency.
This constitutional distinction stands in contrast to Article 3 of the Basic Law, which enshrines the principle of equality. It guarantees that all people are equal before the law, that women and men enjoy the same rights, and that no one may face discrimination based on gender, origin, language, beliefs, or disability.
Chancellor Merz made clear, “The debate on compulsory service for women would be only the third or fourth step. We are now taking the first and second steps, and then we will continue the discussion,” he said.
While the government is committed for now to the voluntary approach, this constitutional distinction has fueled debate about whether Germany’s principle of equality before the law is upheld when only men can be conscripted for combat service. Women now serve voluntarily across all roles in the Bundeswehr, compulsory service remains gender-specific, raising the question of whether equal rights should also mean equal duties.
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