According to outgoing Federal Parliament Defense Commissioner Eva Högl (SPD), the future mandatory military service will not be solely based on voluntary participation if sufficient conscripts are to be recruited. “I don’t believe we will be able to establish the new mandatory military service without any form of obligation, even though I would prefer it to be voluntary” she told the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland.”
Högl added, “If the recruitment with voluntary participation works out, that would be great. If it doesn’t, we will need an obligation – similar to the Swedish model.” Although the new mandatory military service cannot currently start with more than 5,000 soldiers due to a shortage of trainers, equipment and accommodation, Högl stated that “5,000 can only be the first step. The number needs to be further increased.”
The official target remains at 203,000 active soldiers by 2031, including reserves. For years, the armed forces have had around 180,000 soldiers and recruitment has not been successful. “Recruiting personnel and retaining personnel is currently the biggest challenge for the Bundeswehr” said Högl. She emphasized that “it is known that I do not want to limit this obligation to the Bundeswehr, but that all young people should contribute to society, whether it be through the military, social work, environmental protection, or heritage preservation.