The German Government promotes a new type of military service to reinforce the Army

BERLIN 6 Nov. (DPA/EP) –

The German Council of Ministers has given the ‘green light’ this Wednesday to legislation that introduces a new form of military service in order to strengthen the defense capabilities of the country, which since the end of the Cold War has reduced its investments in view of the reduction of threats.

This new law, presented by the Minister of Defense, Boris Pistorius, reestablishes a military registry in which young Germans must register when they turn 18 and specify whether they are willing to perform military service, as detailed by government sources to the agency. DPA.

Pistorius himself has defended that this new modality will allow the German authorities to know which citizens will be available in the event that a military emergency is declared. “If a defense State emerged tomorrow, we would not know who we could recruit because there is no complete database,” he said.

The German Constitution stipulates that compulsory military service only affects men, so registration is optional for women. The authorities propose raising the salary to at least 1,800 euros with the possibility of another 200 euros more for bonuses and other circumstances of the recruits.

In any case, the legislation must be approved by both Chambers (the Bundestag and the Bundesrat) before coming into force, possibly in May 2025.

Germany suspended compulsory military service in 2011, although it is true that the door was left open to a possible reestablishment in the event that the German Parliament declared the State of Defense, the term by which the State of Emergency is known in Germany if it suffers an armed attack.

Russia’s invasion of its neighboring country Ukraine has led major European powers, especially Germany, to review its defense posture. In the case of Berlin, the lack of investment in recent decades had significantly affected its protocols and defensive capabilities.

Specifically, the German Army has faced a significant lack of personnel. In mid-2024 it had less than 180,000 troops in its ranks, in addition to another 60,000 soldiers in reserve. Pistorius has stated on some occasion that some 460,000 soldiers are necessary to meet NATO’s objectives.