New conscription model: How Pistorius wants to increase personnel

In future, the Bundeswehr will systematically assess young people for their suitability for military service. However, the model that Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) presented to the Bundestag’s specialist committee on Wednesday does not envisage a return to conscription. The focus is on compulsory registration and needs-based conscription – there is, however, no obligation to serve.

Compulsory military service in Germany has been suspended since 2011, but not abolished. Like large parts of the economy, the Bundeswehr is currently suffering from an acute shortage of applicants. In view of concerns about a growing military threat from Russia, the Ministry of Defense attaches great importance to strengthening the force’s personnel.

With the reform, Pistorius wants to significantly strengthen the German army, which is already weakened in terms of personnel – and increase its deterrent potential in view of the growing military threats from Russia. His model envisages that all 18-year-old men and women will be contacted in the future, as the Defense Committee told the AFP news agency. Men are obliged to fill out the questionnaire sent to them and send it back; for women this is voluntary.

From those returned, the Bundeswehr then selects those young people who are invited to a mandatory medical examination. According to AFP information, the decision whether someone wants to do military service or not remains voluntary. Pistorius’ model therefore provides for six months of basic military service, which can be voluntarily extended to up to 17 months.

Pistorius needs more reservists

The plans are primarily aimed at significantly strengthening the reserves. It is “exclusively about the ability to expand and strengthen the reserves for overall defense,” a meeting participant quoted the minister as saying to AFP. The long-term goal is for the Bundeswehr to have 460,000 soldiers – around 200,000 active in the standing army, the rest in the reserves.

To achieve this goal, “an additional 200,000 reservists must be generated,” the minister was quoted as saying by the committee. The Bundeswehr currently has around 181,000 active soldiers.

According to the information, Pistorius pointed out in the committee meeting that the limited infrastructure of the Bundeswehr is currently the “limiting factor” for the expansion of the personnel base. In a first step, therefore, only 5,000 additional conscripts should be recruited under the new model. This could cost 1.4 billion euros, the minister was quoted as saying.

Criticism of conscription model

Fundamental criticism of Pistorius’ plans came from the AfD and BSW. The AfD accused the minister of creating a “war mood”, the BSW spoke of “war rhetoric”.

Union politicians criticized Pistorius’ plans as not going far enough – and expressed the suspicion that the minister had been called back by the Chancellery and the SPD parliamentary group on the issue of a stronger obligation to perform military service. Of Pistorius’ original plans, “an improved voluntary service remained,” said CSU defense expert Florian Hahn after the committee meeting. In addition, the minister’s plans left many legal, financial and structural questions unanswered.

According to AFP information, the question of whether the obligation should also apply to women sparked lively debate in the Defense Committee. FDP politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann called for young women to be obliged to return the questionnaire “in the interests of military justice.” “The concentration on young men pushed by the minister is unlikely to be sustainable,” she wrote in the online service X.

Union politicians argued similarly. “I believe that we can no longer make a distinction between the sexes in this day and age,” said Union parliamentary group vice-chairman Johann Wadephul on ZDF’s “Morgenmagazin.”

However, the Basic Law would have to be changed to include women. Article 12a of the Basic Law currently only allows compulsory service in the armed forces, the Federal Border Guard or a civil defence organisation for men.