Germany is bringing back military service — sort of. The Bundestag has voted to introduce voluntary service for 18-year-olds.
This move is aimed at boosting national defence after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
But will young Germans actually line up? Many aren’t convinced.
Students across 90 cities plan strikes on Friday, saying they don’t want to “spend half a year locked up in barracks, learning to kill.”
The law marks a sharp shift. Germany scrapped compulsory service in 2011, and its army shrank dramatically after the Cold War.
Now, all 18-year-old men will receive a questionnaire starting January 2026 asking if they want to serve, with women able to volunteer.
Germany Expands Military
By July 2027, men will also take a medical exam to see who could defend the homeland in a crisis, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius explained.
The Bundeswehr currently has 182,000 personnel, but Merz plans to expand to 260,000 by the early 2030s, plus 200,000 reservists.
“We want Europe’s strongest conventional army,” Merz said, amid pressure from the US for Nato allies to beef up defence.
Volunteers will earn about €2,600 a month — not exactly pocket change.
While service is voluntary for now, compulsory measures could be triggered if too few sign up.
After years of lean peacetime forces, Germany is clearly recalibrating. As one protester put it, “War offers no prospects for the future.”
Yet Berlin seems willing to take that risk in the name of security.
