After several months of political debate, the abolished coalition government of Friedrich Merz was able to draw up a bill granting Germany a new military service. Unlike previous militias – which were suspended in 2011 – the new model will not be compulsory compliance with the support of volunteers; Currently, there is no mechanism to make it mandatory if there are not enough volunteers, something the Conservatives in the Cabinet have complained about.
The aim of this new law, which the German parliament still has to pass, is to increase the number of temporary and professional soldiers in the German army: from the current 182,000 soldiers to 260,000 soldiers in 2035. Moreover, 200,000 reserve soldiers will be needed. To ensure a sufficient number of volunteers, the starting salary for new recruits will be 2,600 euros.
Currently, the army in Germany is professional, but there is also the possibility of receiving voluntary military training, which can cost between 1,800 and 2,200 euros per month. Now this amount will rise to 2,600 euros to encourage volunteerism. In addition, anyone who commits to training will be supported for one year, in addition to a driving permit. During the period in which a person performs military service, his contributions to compulsory retirement insurance will be paid.
“Other European countries, especially those in the north, are proving that the principle of voluntariness works if combined with gravity, and I hope the same will happen here,” German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said after coalition leaders between conservatives and Social Democrats reached an understanding in the evening. mircoles.
Politicians have worked for weeks to find a solution that satisfies all government partners in the draft law, the first version of which was approved at the end of last August and then presented with great expectations. But then, conservative dissatisfaction with the new norm of “military modernization” became increasingly louder, and those conferred were forced to sit down to amend the bill’s expungement.
The Conservatives wanted to include a mechanism that would automatically trigger a return to compulsory military service if not enough volunteers came forward. This was not achieved in the end.
The new law stipulates that starting next year, all young people who have reached the age of 18 will receive a letter from the German army asking them to fill out a questionnaire, which is voluntary for women and mandatory – refilling the questionnaire individually – for men. They will ask you, for example, if you are interested in military service, what your height and weight are, if you suffer from a disease or what studies you have done. If the questionnaire is not filled out, if it is filled out late, or if the knowledge is filled out with wrong data, you will have to pay a fine, even if you do not know the amount at the moment.
Those who express in the questionnaire their interest in voluntary military service will be called by the German Army to determine their mental, physical and personal abilities. From July 2027, all men born after 2008, regardless of their interests, will be required to undergo a mandatory medical examination.
Basic military service lasts for at least six months. Most importantly, each person can decide individually how much time he wants to serve in the military. A monthly extension of up to 23 months is possible.
Recruitment will begin gradually as it is not possible to recruit 300,000 men from one generation at once due to the lack of current capabilities, and this is not expected to be achieved until mid-2027. At this stage, the German army lacks trained personnel and staff to house the soldiers. Furthermore, with the suspension of compulsory military service, approximately 50 recruiting workshops where medical reconnaissance was conducted were suppressed. This is now planned to be done mainly in urban centres, where the German army plans to build more than 20 facilities for this purpose.
With these new regulations, we intend, first and foremost, to ensure that they are fit and motivated to serve in the German Armed Forces. The German army hopes to have enough volunteers. However, if not enough is provided, it may be possible to reintroduce, with a new or amended law, compulsory military service, which is still provided for in the constitution, before approval by the German Parliament. In this case, a lottery procedure may be applied.
According to the German Constitution, men between the ages of 18 and 45 are subject to compulsory military service. In case of defense or stress, they can be ordered to perform military service for up to 60 years. In the case of women, the situation is different: if these elements are not included, the constitution will have to be amended.
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