We just got the news that Germany has agreed to call up all 18-year-old men for mandatory military medical examinations after weeks of political negotiations inside the coalition government.
The new plan stops short of reintroducing compulsory military service, but it creates a hybrid system built on voluntary enlistment, with the option of mandatory call-ups if numbers fall short.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU and the SPD reached the agreement as Berlin faces pressure to rebuild its armed forces amid concerns over Russia and reduced United States security guarantees. The Bundeswehr currently fields around 182,000 troops but aims to reach up to 270,000, plus 200,000 reservists.
Mandatory medical examinations
Under the proposal, expected to take effect early next year, all 18-year-olds will receive a questionnaire about their interest in serving. For men, responding will be mandatory. Medical examinations will begin with those born in 2008 and expand gradually. Recruits would earn €2,600 per month.
Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said the screening is essential to understand Germany's defence capabilities and rejected earlier proposals for a lottery-style conscription system, arguing it risked selecting unmotivated recruits.
If volunteer numbers fall short, the Bundestag could vote on activating needs-based conscription, though the details remain unclear. This comes as support for the hard-right AfD rises and as Germany attempts to avoid wider political instability already seen in neighbouring France.