06/27/2025June 27, 2025Pistorius defends plans for military draft — but only if needed
Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has defended calls for a legal mechanism to allow military conscription while insisting that voluntary service remains the current priority.
Speaking to the DPA news agency ahead of a national conference of his Social Democratic Party (SPD), Pistorius emphasized that his position differs from that of the conservative CDU/CSU bloc, which governs in coalition with the SPD. The conservatives are pressing for a swift return to mandatory military service.
The minister argued that drafting soldiers is not currently feasible due to insufficient barracks and training facilities, despite increased infrastructure investment in recent years.
For the time being, he said, the number of volunteers is sufficient.
However, Pistorius rejected outright opposition to a draft. “I also oppose the voices that believe we must exclude any form of obligation,” he said.
He noted that it is not possible to predict when mandatory conscription might be needed, but said the key issue is legal preparedness. “The decisive factor is that the mechanism is enshrined in the law,” he said.
“From the very beginning, it was important to me that we do not introduce the obligation lightly—and certainly not unilaterally. The draft legislation therefore stipulates that such a step would require the approval of both the Cabinet and the Bundestag.”
“To be clear: if we can ensure our security with voluntary service, then that is what we will stick to,” he said.
Conscription was suspended in 2011 but remains enshrined in the German constitution.
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