Is it time to bring back conscription in Germany?

Calls to reinstate compulsory military service are growing louder in Berlin’s political circles. But is drafting thousands of 18-year-olds the answer to Germany’s defence challenges?

At the beginning of March, Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU) defence policy spokesman Florian Hahn called for the reintroduction of compulsory military service before the end of the year.

“We can’t just sit back and watch as the world around us becomes more insecure,” he told German tabloid Bild.

With the German parliament approving a historic debt-financed bill for defence and infrastructure, attention is now turning to conscription. But what would reinstating it look like – and would it really solve Germany’s defence challenges?

Why was Germany’s compulsory military service suspended?

Conscription was introduced in 1956 and remains enshrined in Article 12a of Germany’s Basic Law.

Even after the Cold War ended and the country was reunified, conscription was not abolished. However, since its inception, individuals have been able to refuse military service on grounds of conscience.

Applicants had to seek approval for conscientious objection in such cases and could then perform alternative service for the common good, known as civilian service.

All men aged 18 and over were required to serve in the Bundeswehr until 2011, when former defence minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg suspended mandatory service.

Compulsory military service was suspended to reduce the size of the Bundeswehr from around 255,000 soldiers to 185,000. The reasoning at the time pointed to the significantly changed global security landscape, which did not pose a major risk.

According to the latest Bundeswehr data from May 2024, the total strength stands at just under 261,000 people. This includes 180,215 military personnel and 80,761 civilian employees.

However, the goal is to increase troop numbers to around 203,000 soldiers by 2031. This planned increase is driven by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the resulting shift in Europe’s security landscape, as outlined in a draft law from December last year.

To achieve this target, the reintroduction of compulsory military service is being considered. But while this may seem like a straightforward solution, it’s not that simple.

“There’s a theoretical and a practical answer,” explained Dr Frank Sauer, political scientist at the Bundeswehr University in Munich.

“The theoretical answer is: yes, legally we can reinstate compulsory military service. In practical terms, however, it would have no effect, because there are no systems in place to actually draft people.”

This mainly concerns logistics, which no longer exist and therefore cannot be used for conscription. If compulsory military service were reintroduced, the Bundeswehr would not only lack the personnel to train new recruits, but also the barracks and district defence offices.

“The entire infrastructure needed for this no longer exists,” Sauer pointed out.

Sauer doesn’t view conscription as a simple solution and cautions against using it to address the Bundeswehr’s personnel shortage or to reach the target of 203,000 soldiers.

“We need to answer the question: why would we reintroduce compulsory service if it just leads to me being trained to use a weapon or, like I was back then, working as a paramedic for the Red Cross? What’s the purpose of this? And do we realistically have the means or tools to achieve the goal we’ve set for ourselves with what’s currently on the table?” Sauer asked.

The ‘means-to-an-end discussion’

Before reintroducing compulsory military service, a discussion on the means to achieve the intended goal must take place, according to Sauer.

At present, there is neither consensus nor a clear debate on the purpose of conscription in Germany. Even potential coalition partners for the next government remain divided on how, or even if, conscription should be implemented.

Reports from Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland reveal that the CDU and CSU political parties support reinstating compulsory military service to establish a “credible deterrent.”

In contrast, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) continues to favour voluntary service but proposes creating the framework for military registration and monitoring.

However, beyond politics, a broader consensus in society must also be reached about the role compulsory military service should play. “Some believe it will grow the Bundeswehr,” says Sauer.

“Others think it will teach young people discipline again. Some believe it will enhance civil protection and provide more personnel for blue light organisations. Still, others see it as a way to foster social cohesion.”

Compulsory military service cannot be introduced with a “one size fits all” approach and must therefore be tailored differently.

Whether there would be a parliamentary majority for potential changes to conscription remains uncertain. “What we could implement now would be the same compulsory military service as before,” the political scientist told Euronews.

Conscription currently applies only to men. A modernised approach to conscription would therefore need to consider the possibility of including women as well.

Bavarian Minister President Markus Söder stated in an interview with ZDF that the main goal is not to focus on strengthening a gender-equal Bundeswehr, but rather to create a better and more effective one. He also reiterated the importance of the deterrent effect that the Bundeswehr should have.

“We want a Bundeswehr that is so strong that it’s not worth attacking us,” Söder said. However, even with the reintroduction of compulsory military service, the Bundeswehr cannot become stronger overnight.

Sauer believes there is little interest within the Bundeswehr in reintroducing conscription. “The military is already facing a massive personnel shortage, especially when it comes to instructors,” the political scientist explains.

“If they were also required to train conscripts, the professional forces would be even more stretched. In nearly every conversation I’ve had, no one has said, ‘That’s a great idea, let’s bring back military service.'”

Defending one’s country?

According to politicians like Söder and Hahn, the primary aim of compulsory military service was to strengthen the Bundeswehr. However, a recent Forsa survey for RTL and ntv found that only 17% of Germans would be willing to take up arms to defend their country in the event of a military attack.

In contrast, a study by the French Ministry of Defence revealed that 51% of 18 to 25-year-olds would be prepared to fight in Ukraine if it were necessary to defend France. Additionally, around 62% of the French population supports the reintroduction of compulsory military service, which was abolished in 1997.

A YouGov survey also found that 58% of Germans are in favour of reinstating conscription. However, according to Die Welt, a majority of 18 to 29-year-olds (61%) are opposed to its reintroduction.

It remains unclear whether, and in what form, the compulsory military service enshrined in the Basic Law will be reintroduced. The only consensus so far is that it cannot happen overnight.