(de-news.net) – As the Bundeswehr increases its manpower and aims to fulfill aggressive recruitment targets by 2035, the discussion in Germany about restoring mandatory military service is intensifying. CSU leader Markus Söder and other Union leaders are advocating for a return to conscription, citing increased security needs and the need to improve military preparedness, but Defense Minister Boris Pistorius believes that voluntary enlistment is adequate, for the time being.

Markus Söder, leader of the Christian Social Union (CSU) and Bavaria’s Minister-President, has reiterated calls for Germany to reinstate compulsory military service, arguing that increased defense spending, equipment procurement and infrastructure investment alone cannot adequately address the country’s security challenges. In an online statement, Söder stressed that Germany faced a particularly serious threat environment and needed to further strengthen its armed forces. He also maintained that protecting democracy required a willingness to defend it, reinforcing the Union’s position that military preparedness must extend beyond financial and technological investment.

The renewed demands come amid growing disagreements within the conservative Union bloc over Defense Minister Boris Pistorius’s (SPD) assessment that the Bundeswehr could achieve its recruitment targets without immediately reinstating conscription. Senior Union figures responsible for foreign and security policy have questioned the minister’s optimism, warning against drawing premature conclusions from the latest recruitment figures. Norbert Röttgen (CDU), deputy chairman of the Union parties’ parliamentary group in the Bundestag, welcomed the reported increase in personnel but emphasized that it represented only an initial step toward the staffing levels required by the armed forces. He compared the challenge to completing the opening miles of a marathon, cautioning that early progress should not be mistaken for having reached the overall objective.

Pistorius points to rising military personnel numbers

Pistorius, by contrast, considers the existing recruitment strategy to be producing encouraging results. In October, the Bundeswehr had more than 190,000 active service members, representing its highest personnel strength since 2013. A substantial proportion of the increase consisted of individuals who had committed themselves to longer periods of military service. The Defense Minister attributed the development to measures introduced under the Military Service Modernization Act, which entered into force in January, and maintained that voluntary recruitment could continue to meet the armed forces’ personnel requirements. He nevertheless acknowledged that the Government would have to respond if the upward recruitment trend weakened in the coming years.

Under the new legislation, the Government intends to increase the Bundeswehr’s personnel strength from approximately 184,000 to between 255,000 and 270,000 by 2035. The framework combines voluntary military service with mandatory registration and medical examinations for young men, while introducing questionnaires for men and women born in 2008 or later to assess their interest in joining the armed forces. Completion is compulsory for men but voluntary for women. The measures are accompanied by additional incentives, including higher remuneration and financial assistance toward obtaining a driver’s license, as part of the Government’s efforts to make military service more attractive.

Recruitment targets determine the conscription debate

Pistorius has maintained that achieving the agreed recruitment targets would remove the immediate need for further discussions about compulsory military service. The legislation nevertheless provides for a possible introduction of so-called needs-based conscription if voluntary recruitment proves insufficient to deliver the planned expansion. Under the agreed arrangement, the Defense Ministry must assess progress every six months and report whether the personnel targets are being met, allowing the Bundestag to consider further measures if necessary. The mechanism reflects a compromise reached by the governing parties following repeated disagreements over the pace and methods of military expansion, particularly the question of whether compulsory service should remain a contingency or become an integral part of the recruitment strategy.

Thomas Röwekamp (CDU), chairman of the Bundestag’s Defense Committee, has challenged the Minister’s position, arguing that the Bundeswehr must reach the personnel strength required to fulfill its responsibilities as quickly as possible. Rather than waiting until voluntary recruitment has demonstrably failed, he believes that compulsory military service should already be under consideration, potentially alongside a general mandatory year of service. Röwekamp has argued that the deteriorating security environment leaves Germany little room to delay the expansion of its armed forces, making the availability of sufficient personnel a matter of immediate strategic importance.

Youth protests highlight opposition to conscription

The debate has also intensified following demonstrations by students and young people opposing compulsory military service, alongside protests addressing education and environmental protection. Pistorius acknowledged that concerns about potentially being deployed to the front lines and dying in combat were understandable. However, he argued that maintaining sufficiently strong armed forces was precisely what could prevent such a scenario. Effective military deterrence, he maintained, was necessary to discourage potential adversaries and reduce the likelihood that Germany would become involved in an armed conflict. The Minister therefore presented military expansion not simply as preparation for a possible confrontation but as a means of preventing one.

Defense spending targets conventional and advanced capabilities

Beyond recruitment, Pistorius emphasized the importance of investing in advanced technologies to modernize the Bundeswehr’s operational capabilities. Approximately half of the additional funding allocated to the armed forces is intended for the procurement of new technologies. Nevertheless, the Minister stressed that technological innovation and conventional military equipment must be developed together rather than treated as competing priorities. Modern combat tanks and infantry fighting vehicles increasingly depend on sophisticated technological systems to operate effectively, making it misleading to characterize current procurement as merely replacing outdated equipment. The modernization effort, he argued, must therefore encompass both traditional military platforms and the advanced technologies required to support them.

Bundeswehr seeks more women and addresses sexual misconduct

Pistorius also discussed efforts to increase the proportion of women in the predominantly male Bundeswehr. Although changing the armed forces’ personnel structure would require time, applications and recruitment among women were reportedly increasing. The Minister presented this development as an important part of the broader personnel expansion, while acknowledging that greater female participation would require sustained efforts.

At the same time, he addressed concerns about sexual misconduct within the military and its consequences for both affected personnel and the Bundeswehr’s public reputation. The suspected cases recorded in the previous year, he argued, represented a serious problem. He emphasized the need for greater transparency and consistent disciplinary action against those responsible, while announcing that the findings of a study examining previously unreported cases would be presented the following week. Addressing misconduct, he indicated, was necessary not only to protect affected individuals but also to safeguard the institution’s standing.

Germany faces unresolved questions over military expansion

The disagreement ultimately reflects an unresolved question at the center of Germany’s military expansion: whether voluntary service alone can deliver the ambitious personnel increases required by the Government. While Pistorius considers the latest recruitment figures evidence that the current approach is working, Söder and other Union politicians are advocating a more immediate commitment to compulsory military service. The Government has established a mechanism for introducing needs-based conscription if voluntary recruitment falls short, but the political debate continues over whether this contingency provides sufficient assurance that the Bundeswehr will reach its targets.

The discussion is unfolding against the backdrop of hybrid and abstract threats to European security and revised NATO capability requirements, which have increased pressure on Germany to strengthen its armed forces, expand its personnel base and improve operational readiness. The competing positions reflect different assessments of how best to achieve those objectives: through an expanded voluntary recruitment system supported by additional incentives and regular monitoring, or through a renewed commitment to compulsory military service if necessary. The outcome will shape the future structure of the Bundeswehr and Germany’s approach to meeting its military obligations.