{"id":288455,"date":"2025-07-24T17:32:24","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T17:32:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/288455\/"},"modified":"2025-07-24T17:32:24","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T17:32:24","slug":"germany-will-reintroduce-compulsory-military-service-screening-for-all-18-year-old-men-under-plans-to-ramp-up-defence-amid-soaring-tensions-with-russia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/288455\/","title":{"rendered":"Germany will reintroduce compulsory military service screening for all 18-year-old men under plans to ramp up defence amid soaring tensions with Russia"},"content":{"rendered":"

By TOM LAWRENCE<\/a> <\/p>\n

Published: 12:49 EDT, 24 July 2025 | Updated: 12:52 EDT, 24 July 2025 <\/p>\n

Germany<\/a> is planning to reintroduce compulsory screening for military service for 18-year-old men under plans to ramp up their defence, a defence ministry source said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz has made boosting Germany’s threadbare military a key priority amid a growing threat from Russia and US President Donald Trump<\/a>‘s questioning of the traditional American security umbrella for Europe.<\/p>\n

The drive aims to attract volunteers to the armed forces, but includes provisions for compulsory service in case numbers fall short.<\/p>\n

As part of planned legislation due to be presented to cabinet next month, all young German men would have to fill out a questionnaire about their readiness and willingness to serve in the military.<\/p>\n

The questionnaire would be voluntary for young women.<\/p>\n

From 2028, all 18-year-old men would be required to undergo screening to determine their fitness for military service, whether they have shown an interest in joining the armed forces or not.<\/p>\n

The planned law would also provide for compulsory military service to be reintroduced if deemed necessary because of the security situation, and provided parliament gives its explicit approval.<\/p>\n

Conscription was officially suspended in Germany in 2011 under then chancellor Angela Merkel.<\/p>\n

\"German\u00a0Chancellor <\/p>\n

German\u00a0Chancellor Friedrich Merz has made boosting Germany’s threadbare military a key priority<\/p>\n

\"Defence <\/p>\n

Defence Minister Boris Pistorius visits a paramedic academy of the German army, Bundeswehr, in Munich<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The policy has been introduced amid a growing threat from Russia and Vladimir Putin<\/p>\n

Merz has introduced sweeping plans to largely exempt defence spending from Germany’s strict debt rules in a drive to build up ‘the strongest conventional army in Europe’.<\/p>\n

But the Bundeswehr, currently 180,000-strong plus 49,000 reservists, has been struggling to recruit.<\/p>\n

This year the defence ministry expects 15,000 new recruits for military service, 5,000 more than last year.<\/p>\n

The eventual aim is to have a total military strength of 460,000 – made up of 260,000 active soldiers and 200,000 reservists.<\/p>\n

For the moment the government says it plans to rely on volunteers to build up the ranks, and hopes for 40,000 new recruits per year by 2031.<\/p>\n

It also wants to make military service more attractive, for example by offering training in new technologies and language courses.<\/p>\n

Sweden reintroduced a limited form of conscription in 2017, seven years after abandoning it.<\/p>\n

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