Germany’s new military registration program reached nearly 300,000 young adults, but only 530 volunteered for service during the first five months of the year.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Germany is facing renewed pressure to consider compulsory military service after a nationwide recruitment effort produced a limited number of new volunteers despite the government’s plans for a major expansion of the Bundeswehr.
Figures reported by Die Zeit and confirmed through comments from senior German officials showed that the Bundeswehr contacted approximately 298,200 young Germans who had recently turned 18 under a new military registration program launched earlier this year. Between January and May, only 530 people volunteered to join the armed forces.
The results have intensified debate inside Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government over whether Germany can rebuild its military through voluntary enlistment alone as Berlin increases defense spending and warns of a growing threat from Russia.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has set a goal of expanding the Bundeswehr from about 185,000 active personnel today to roughly 260,000 active-duty troops by 2035. The plan also calls for another 200,000 reservists.
The expansion is part of Germany’s broader defense buildup following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the German government’s assessment that the European security environment has changed significantly.
Under the current system, all 18-year-old men must complete an online military questionnaire. Women may participate voluntarily. German officials said about 96% of eligible men completed the survey, though only a small share moved from questionnaire participation to active enlistment.
Officials said approximately one in five respondents expressed some interest in military service, but many indicated they would consider joining later rather than immediately.
Thomas Roewekamp, chairman of the German parliament’s Defense Committee, said the early results have raised doubts about whether a voluntary model can meet Germany’s personnel goals.
“If Germany cannot reach its targets through the voluntary system, we will have to return to conscription,” Roewekamp said.
He said a decision could come by July 2027 after officials review another year of recruitment data. Roewekamp also said he has “serious doubts” that Germany can reach its planned personnel targets without mandatory service.
Germany suspended compulsory military service in 2011, ending decades of peacetime conscription. Reinstating the draft would mark one of the country’s most consequential defense policy shifts since the end of the Cold War.
The recruitment debate comes as Germany pursues one of the largest military modernization efforts in its postwar history. Merz and Pistorius have said Russia is now the principal long-term security threat to Europe.
German officials have repeatedly warned that Moscow could challenge NATO’s eastern flank within the coming years. They have also called for stronger European defense capabilities alongside NATO allies.
Russia has rejected those assessments. President Vladimir Putin has called claims that Moscow intends to attack NATO “nonsense,” saying Western governments are using the warnings to justify higher military spending. Putin also claimed Russia had no intention of invading Ukraine in the weeks and months before Moscow launched its unprovoked February 2022 attack.
Speaking this week, Putin accused Western nations of preparing openly for confrontation with Russia while portraying Moscow as the aggressor.
Russian officials and state media have mocked Germany’s recruitment problems, arguing that the poor response from young Germans undercuts claims that Europe is preparing for a major military confrontation.
Public opinion presents another challenge for Berlin. Recent polling has shown limited enthusiasm among Germans for military service and combat roles.
Germany’s difficulties contrast with Poland’s military expansion. Warsaw has moved rapidly to increase troop strength and purchase hundreds of tanks, artillery systems, fighter aircraft, missile launchers and air-defense systems from the United States and South Korea.
Poland has said it intends to build one of Europe’s strongest conventional militaries in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine and security concerns along NATO’s eastern border.
Germany’s recruitment shortfall underscores a broader problem facing European governments after years of reduced defense spending. Leaders are calling for larger and more capable militaries, but many are finding that public willingness to serve has not kept pace with the new security demands.
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