Germany could reintroduce compulsory military service by mid-2027 if voluntary recruitment fails to meet ambitious troop targets, a senior parliamentarian has warned, as the country faces a growing threat from Russia and an unpredictable United States.The government introduced a new voluntary military service model in November, along with compulsory registration for 18-year-old men. However, between January and May, the scheme resulted in only 530 new recruits, despite around 300,000 young people being contacted.If Germany cannot reach its targets through the voluntary system, “we will have to return to conscription,” said Thomas Roewekamp, chairman of the German parliament’s defence committee. “We must take that decision by July 31 of next year.”
Recruitment shortages fuel pressure
Germany has committed to increase its troop strength to at least 260,000 soldiers by 2035, up from the current 185,000. A mandatory questionnaire requiring men turning 18 to provide information about their willingness to serve has already begun reaching potential recruits.By mid-2027, mandatory physical examinations for male 18-year-olds are also expected to begin.Roewekamp, chairman of the German Parliament’s Defence Committee, said he still has “serious doubts” that voluntary recruitment alone can meet the targets. “My great concern is the growth in the number of career and contracted soldiers, because they are the ones who fly the fighter jets, navigate the ships, operate the tanks and man the Patriot air defence systems,” he said.
Generational divide
The debate has exposed a stark generational divide. A recent survey by the European Council on Foreign Relations found a net opposition rate of 46 per cent among 18-to-29-year-olds to mandatory military service, while every older age group expressed overall support.Youth activist Bela Breitner, spokesperson for the School Strike Against Conscription movement, said the government’s military expansion plans were fueling fears among younger Germans that the country was moving toward deeper militarisation.“We don’t think that’s something that we have an interest in,” Breitner said, adding that the group has organised three strike days, each drawing around 50,000 people.
Security concerns drive debate
Roewekamp said Germany must urgently rearm independently of the United States, partly because of Trump’s plans to reduce troops in Europe, but also because Washington is not able to reliably supply European armies amid repeated international crises.He said Europe must develop its own military capabilities based on actual needs rather than industrial interests.European governments are under growing pressure to expand their armies and raise defence spending amid the Russia-Ukraine war and uncertainty over the future of US security guarantees in Europe.Germany suspended compulsory military service in 2011, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and renewed doubts about Washington’s role in European security have pushed the issue back onto the political agenda.
