After months of political debate, Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government managed to push through a bill providing a new military service for Germany. Unlike the old military, which was suspended in 2011, the new model will be supported by volunteers. And as of now, it doesn’t include any features that would mandate automation in case there aren’t enough volunteers.
The new law, which still needs to be passed by Germany’s parliament, aims to increase the number of temporary and professional soldiers in the German army from 182,000 currently to 260,000 by 2035. In addition, 200,000 reservists will be needed. To encourage sufficient volunteering, the starting salary for new employees will be a total of 2,600 euros.
Previously, soldiers in voluntary military service had a monthly salary of between 1,800 and 2,200 euros. If you sign a one-year contract, your driver’s license will also be subsidized. In addition, compulsory pension contributions are paid during military service.
“Other European countries, especially the northern ones, have shown that the principle of spontaneity works when combined with attraction, and we hope the same will happen here,” German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said after the conservative and Social Democratic coalition leadership reached an agreement on Wednesday night.
Politicians have been working for several weeks to find a solution that satisfies all government partners on the bill, which was first agreed at the end of August and then introduced with great expectations. But after a while, conservative dissatisfaction with the new rules on “modernization of military service” began to grow louder and louder, and the partners had to sit down again to revise the draft of the bill. Conservatives wanted to include a mechanism that would trigger automatic return to military service if not enough volunteers were gathered. Something they couldn’t achieve in the end.
Under the new law, all young people who turn 18 next year will receive a letter from the German military asking them to complete a questionnaire, which is optional for women and mandatory for men. For example, we ask if you are interested in military service, how tall and weight you are, if you suffer from any illnesses, and what kind of education you have. If a survey is not completed, completed late, or completed with knowingly false information, there may be a fine, but the amount is not known at this time.
Those who express an interest in voluntary military service in a questionnaire are invited by the German military to determine their mental, physical, and personality suitability. From July 2027, all men born after 2008 will have to undergo a compulsory medical examination, regardless of their expressed interest. Basic military service lasts at least six months. Additionally, each person can individually decide how long they wish to serve in the military. Monthly extensions are available for up to 23 months.
Recruitment will begin in stages, as current capacity shortages make it impossible to recruit 300,000 men from each generation at once, and this is not expected to be achieved until mid-2027. So far, the German army lacks barracks to house training personnel and soldiers. Additionally, with the suspension of compulsory military service, approximately 50 recruitment centers where medical examinations were conducted were also closed. These are currently planned to take place primarily in urban centres, with the German military planning to rent more than 20 facilities for this purpose.
The new regulations are aimed, first of all, at checking who is fit and willing to serve in the German army. The German military wants to have enough volunteers. However, if sufficient proposals are not received, compulsory military service could be introduced as provided in the constitution, subject to approval by the German parliament. In that case, a lottery procedure may be applied.
According to Germany’s constitution, men between the ages of 18 and 45 are subject to compulsory military service. In defense and tension cases, women can be ordered into military service up to the age of 60. It’s different for women. The constitution needs to be amended because it does not include women.
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