Germany’s lower house approved the government’s Wehrdienst‑Modernisierungsgesetz on 5 December by 323 votes to 272, with one abstention. The law establishes a voluntary service model anchored by mandatory registration and later medical screening, and is intended to apply from 1 January 2026 subject to Bundesrat consent.
From January 2026, all residents turning 18 will receive a Bundeswehr questionnaire covering health, education and willingness to serve. Completing the form will be compulsory for men and voluntary for women, reflecting constitutional limits; the Defence Ministry has indicated that non‑response by men may lead to fines.
A second stage follows with mandatory fitness checks. From 1 July 2027, men born in 2008 or later will be required to undergo medical examinations. The rollout includes establishing 24 inspection centres, with the Bundeswehr planning capacity to process around 300,000 men each year as the system scales up.
Service itself remains voluntary. Initial commitments run for six to eleven months with enhanced training and flexible terms; short‑term recruits are offered about €2,600 per month, with higher pay for longer service. The Defence Ministry must provide six‑monthly recruitment reports to the Bundestag from 2027.
Personnel planning is tied to NATO force targets. Berlin aims to grow the Bundeswehr to about 260,000 active soldiers and at least 200,000 reservists by the mid‑2030s, up from roughly 183,000 today-bringing the total force close to 460,000.
There is no automatic trigger for compulsory service. If volunteer numbers fall short or the security situation deteriorates, the government could propose a needs‑based conscription, requiring a separate Bundestag vote and potentially using random selection among eligible men.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz has framed the reform within a wider commitment to rebuild national defence and make the Bundeswehr Europe’s strongest conventional force-an objective set out in his first months in office and used to justify the new recruitment model and oversight.
The vote occurred amid youth‑led demonstrations across the country. Organisers said pupils staged school‑strike protests in about 90 towns and cities. While critics question whether the model is truly voluntary, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius stressed that service remains optional and argued for universal screening to ensure preparedness.
Lawmakers and officials present the scheme as a way to reverse years of personnel decline after conscription was suspended in 2011, while avoiding an immediate draft. Germany’s approach aligns with broader European shifts, as other states expand voluntary service or reinforce conscription in response to security risks.
For families and schools, the immediate practical point is timing. Those turning 18 in 2026 should expect the questionnaire; men who ignore it risk penalties, and men from the 2008 cohort onward will be scheduled for medicals from July 2027. Existing routes for conscientious objection continue under federal procedures.
Parliament also passed a pensions bill the same day, maintaining the statutory replacement rate at 48% until 2031 and adding incentives to work beyond state pension age. The vote was 319 to 225, with 53 abstentions; Die Linke’s abstention helped the measure pass despite signs of a youthful conservative rebellion.
Next steps include Bundesrat scrutiny and secondary regulations to stand up the inspection‑centre network and data systems. The first six‑monthly recruitment update to parliament is due in 2027; universities and employers may wish to plan around six‑to‑eleven‑month service windows as implementation beds in.