German Defense Official Urges Swift Passage of Compulsory Military Service Bill
Thomas Erndl, the defense policy spokesperson of the Christian Social Union (CSU) in the German Bundestag, has called on Defense Minister Boris Pistorius of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) to present a draft bill for a new military service, including the option of conscripting recruits, as soon as possible.
Erndl emphasized that the new military service must start by the beginning of 2026 at the latest and the defense minister must present the bill to the parliament promptly. He stated that if Germany wants to be fully defense-capable by 2029, with 260,000 active soldiers and 200,000 reservists, the number of service personnel must quickly reach the required level. Erndl also stressed that the mechanism to be used when not enough volunteers come forward must be established in the law now, as there is “no time” for “lengthy debates.”
Falko Droßmann, the defense policy spokesperson of the SPD, prioritized the need to “finally” renovate and build new barracks, saying that it is impossible to induct hundreds of thousands of young men without proper accommodations and weapons. The government is expected to present a bill to accelerate the planning and procurement of the German military before the summer break.
Rüdiger Lucassen, the defense policy spokesperson of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), called for the reactivation of the compulsory military service, which was suspended in 2011, without the need for a new law. He proposed that the existing conscription law could be amended within a short period, allowing for the immediate reactivation of the service. Lucassen offered the CDU and CSU a cooperation to reactivate the conscription law if the SPD refuses to provide the German military with sufficient personnel.
Desiree Becker, the spokesperson for peace and disarmament policy of the Left Party, strongly rejected the gradual reintroduction of conscription. She argued that instead of reactivating conscription, Germany needs a fundamental reform of the military, as there are many good reasons for young people not to join the military, including the fact that military service is always connected to the use of force and that the youth should not be forced to serve.