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\n\t\tThe german government wants more men to join the armed forces (Photo by Lucia Smatanov?\/Orange Pictures)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tThe german government wants more men to join the armed forces (Photo by Lucia Smatanov?\/Orange Pictures)<\/p>\n
Every single 18-year-old male will be asked about his willingness to join the army in a German<\/a> drive to recruit more soldiers.<\/p>\n The compulsory questionnaire is part of a proposed new law which opens a path to bringing back conscription in the future.<\/p>\n The government<\/a> will also launch an advertising blitz to persuade young people to sign up, including by offering bonuses such as subsidised driving licenses and language courses.<\/p>\n Chancellor Friedrich Merz is spearheading efforts to build up Germany\u2019s military capability as Donald Trump<\/a> threw US<\/a> support for European security into doubt.<\/p>\n The country\u2019s Bundeswehr wants to ramp up the number of serving personnel from 182,000 to 260,000.<\/p>\n To do this, the proposed new law will be ask all 18-year-old men from 2028 to fill out a questionnaire about their readiness to serve in the military.<\/p>\n Woman can voluntarily fill out the survey as well.<\/p>\n The draft legislation would also allow conscription to be reintroduced if the security situation demanded, and if parliament approved.<\/p>\n Compulsory military service was scrapped in 2011 by then-Chancellor Angela Merkel.<\/p>\n Alongside the screening questions, the government are considering a string of measures to make joining the military more attractive for young men, t-online reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n On table are proposals to subsidise the cost of a driving license, run personal training for professional development, and make language courses more accessible for non-native speakers.<\/p>\n They will also run an intensive advertising campaign, highlighting other bonuses such as free accommodation, health care and rail travel.<\/p>\n \t\t \t\t The plan is to increase the number of new volunteers joining the Bundeswehr by 3,000 to 5,000 each year.<\/p>\n By 2031, the Bundeswehr will be welcoming up to 40,000 women and men annually.<\/p>\n The government also wants there to be 200,000 reservists alongside the goal of 260,000 active personnel.<\/p>\n The country also intends to almost triple the regular defence budget to approximately 162 billion euros (\u00a3141 billion) per year by 2029.<\/p>\n Several European states already have existing laws<\/a> mandating military conscription, with 13 countries requiring certain citizens to do some form of service.<\/p>\n These include Austria, Cyprus, Denmark and Estonia.<\/p>\n The latest to reintroduce compulsory service was Latvia in January 2024 \u2013 more than 16 years after it dropped the measure in 2007.<\/p>\n In Croatia, men aged 18 to 30 will be conscripted from 2026. The country reintroduced the policy after a 17-year hiatus.<\/p>\n Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n For more stories like this, <\/strong>check our news page<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n \t\t\tComments Arrow Arrow![\"Mandatory](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/SEI_259972358-523e.jpg\")
\n\t\tFriedrich Merz wants to bolster Germany\u2019s defence (Picture: dts News Agency Germany\/Shutterstock)<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/SEI_259732996-9528.jpg\")
\n\t\tGerman Defence Minister Boris Pistorius as he visits a paramedic academy of the German army, Bundeswehr (Picture: REUTERS)<\/p>\n
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