Germany ramps up military service with an eye on Russia threat

Germany has presented plans for a new model of military service. "It should be assumed that Russia will be capable of attacking a NATO state in 2029. Therefore, the number of armed forces should be increased from 181,000 to 203,000 people," said Germany's Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. He added that he would like to introduce mandatory military service for women and men.

The German Defense Minister stated that Russia could be capable of attacking a NATO country by 2029. "Therefore, the number of armed forces should be increased from 181,000 to 203,000 people. According to Bundeswehr and NATO estimates, Germany also needs around 200,000 reservists," said Pistorius during a press conference, as quoted by the German newspaper Bild.

The publication noted that the German politician would like to introduce mandatory military service for both women and men. He justified this with "a different threat situation than a few years ago."

Pistorius emphasized that the German army wanted to recruit "the strongest, most suitable, most motivated." "We don't want a boring, pointless military service," he assured.

Pistorius's plan stipulates that all men and women holding a German passport receive, on their 18th birthday, an official letter from the Bundeswehr requesting them to "consider basic military service (6 months) and possibly extending the service period (an additional 17 months)."

Subsequently, women and men must fill out an online questionnaire that contains information about their situation, attitude towards weapons (whether they plan to refuse to fight), knowledge, and condition. Young men who refuse to provide information may be penalized.

Based on the information in the mandatory survey, the Bundeswehr preliminarily identifies 40,000 people who are generally eligible for basic military service. They are then summoned to training centers. About a quarter of the individuals contacted are expected to express interest in the service.

The Bundeswehr aims to select the most suitable and motivated people from the planned 40,000 recruits and commit them to completing military service.

The goal is to have between 5,000 and 7,000 additional conscripts per year starting from 2025.