Germany's Conscripts - Germany Reintroduces Military Service
- Andrew Long Books
- Jan 14
- 8 min read
Voluntary Military Service: An Opportunity, Not an Obligation
Security cannot be taken for granted. Protecting Germany and its citizens is and will remain the central mission of the Bundeswehr in future. Everyone can do their part to defend our values and ensure that we can continue to live in peace and freedom. Voluntary military service is one way of doing this – and it is an attractive one.[i]
In an address to the German Bundestag on 27 February 2022, the then Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz, described the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which had occurred only days earlier, as a Zeitenwende – a historic turning point or ‘watershed’ moment. Four years later, the effects of that invasion are still rippling across Europe, and the spectre of a wider European war has returned for the first time this century
At the same time, NATO – the cornerstone of Western European defence since 1949 – has come under unprecedented political strain. Pressure from the Trump Administration raised serious questions about the credibility of collective security guarantees that helped win the Cold War and have arguably preserved peace ever since. It is therefore no surprise that European governments are taking a hard look at their military preparedness and, in particular, at ways of overcoming serious personnel shortages. Even the most advanced military technology still requires ‘boots on the ground’ to operate it.
The United Kingdom has relied on an all-volunteer ‘professional’ army since the abolition of National Service in 1960, a model shared by many NATO and EU states.[ii] A small number of countries, however, retained conscription long after the Cold War ended.[iii] While the British Government currently shows little appetite for revisiting its manpower model, several European partners have acted. Bulgaria introduced voluntary military service for citizens up to the age of 40 in 2020; the Netherlands followed in 2023; Poland introduced a one-month voluntary basic military training scheme in 2024. More recently, Germany, France, Belgium, and Romania have announced the introduction of voluntary military service programmes from 2026–27.[iv]
For Germany, any return to military service – compulsory or voluntary – is inevitably contentious. After the Second World War, the occupying powers (Britain, the United States, France, and the Soviet Union) pursued a policy of total demilitarisation: never again would Germany threaten European peace. That consensus quickly fractured as Stalin drew the Iron Curtain across Europe and Cold War tensions deepened. By 1949, the western occupation zones had become the Federal Republic of Germany, which gained full sovereignty on 5 May 1955. The following day it joined NATO, and on 12 November the Bundeswehr, the German Armed Forces, was formally established.[v]
Rearming West Germany was a deeply controversial decision, debated intensely both among the Allies and within Germany itself. The legacy of the Nazi regime loomed large, and those in power had lived through a long and devastating war. Yet strategic necessity prevailed: the Soviet threat in the east demanded a response.
With manpower shortages across West Germany, the only practical way to fill the ranks was the reintroduction of compulsory conscription. A scheme was introduced in July 1956, with the first call-ups occurring in April 1957, beginning a system that continued until 2011.[vi] From 1957 to 1962, the required period of service was twelve months, increasing to eighteen months in 1962 as the Cold War intensified. After 1972, as relations with the East partially normalised, service was reduced back to twelve months and later gradually shortened to just six months. Although over time women were admitted into the Bundeswehr in some roles, conscription itself remained exclusively male.
The West German armed forces joined their NATO partners in defending the Inner German Border between East and West Germany, as well as the border with Czechoslovakia – the territory across which any Warsaw Pact invasion of Western Europe would be fought.
From 1957 onwards, the Bundeswehr was also equipped with short-, medium-, and intermediate-range nuclear weapons, although these remained under the control of USAREUR, the United States Army in Europe.
There were, however, alternatives to joining the military, enshrined in the 1949 West German Basic Law (constitution). The concept of the ‘conscientious objector’ was recognised primarily as a reaction to its complete denial during the Nazi era. Objectors could apply for alternative civilian service if they were able to convince a panel of the sincerity of their religious or philosophical objections, although most applications were denied.[vii] Civilian service roles included work in the care sector (hospitals and nursing homes), civil defence, and, most commonly, the emergency services – particularly local volunteer fire brigades, ambulance services, and disaster relief organisations. Draftees served the same nominal period as their military counterparts, though in practice civilian service often lasted a month longer due to soldiers’ longer working weeks. As a result, Germany developed effective and well-resourced civil defence and emergency services, alongside a culture of civic service that persists today.
Exemptions from military service were also granted on medical grounds (following a formal examination) and for special categories, such as those descended from victims of the Nazi regime, primarily Jewish Holocaust survivors. Total resisters (Totalerweigerer), who refused both military and civilian service, were subject to prosecution and imprisonment. There was, however, a geographical loophole: the unique legal status of West Berlin meant that its citizens were exempt from conscription. As a result, around 50,000 young West Germans avoided the draft by moving to West Berlin immediately after finishing school, contributing to the city’s diverse and cosmopolitan population.
The decision to reintroduce military service (Neuer Wehrdienst – a voluntary commitment to Germany’s security) therefore comes with significant historical baggage. The Bundeswehr, like many modern armed forces, faces serious recruitment challenges. Personnel numbers have fallen short of targets for several years, and plans to expand in response to the Russian threat have only magnified the shortfall.[viii]
Starting this year (2026), all male 18-year-olds (with women able to opt in) will receive compulsory questionnaires assessing their willingness to serve, physical fitness, and educational background, creating a robust database of potential candidates.[ix] From this pool, the most suitable and motivated individuals will be offered voluntary military service of between six and twenty-three months. This period is intended to allow both the candidates and the Bundeswehr to assess long-term suitability, while helping to address a shortfall of approximately 20,000 active-duty soldiers. Even if participants do not pursue a full military career, they will remain available as trained reservists.
At best, this represents a high-profile recruitment initiative; at worst, it may be viewed as a step closer to a return of conscription.
Opponents of the scheme argue that it risks reviving the militarism of the twentieth century that led to two world wars, and they question the military value of short-term service in an era of complex, technology-heavy warfare. Proponents counter that some military service is better than none in an uncertain security environment, and that maintaining a connection between young citizens and the armed forces is both prudent and beneficial. Conscription or quasi-conscription also creates a larger talent pool from which future senior leaders can be drawn – a challenge facing many modern militaries.
From 2027 onwards, the entire annual male cohort – approximately 300,000 18-year-olds – will be required to undergo mandatory medical assessments, further refining the list of potential candidates. The option of introducing ‘needs-based conscription’ (Bedarfswehrpflicht), a universal draft, remains on the statute book should voluntary quotas not be met or the security situation deteriorate further. Unsurprisingly, these developments have been met with opposition from parts of the political spectrum and the media, including demonstrations and school strikes. The coming months will determine whether the voluntary scheme meets expectations or whether more draconian measures are deemed necessary. The geopolitical situation will ultimately shape the outcome.
With both Germany and France reintroducing some form of voluntary military service from 2026, the United Kingdom risks becoming an outlier among its European NATO partners. The British armed forces face their own manpower challenges, and with developments in Moscow and continued unpredictability from Washington, the UK Government may soon need to reconsider its options. With two generations separating the end of National Service from the present day, Britain faces a significant challenge in adapting to a rapidly changing and increasingly unfamiliar threat environment.
Further reading
Long, Andrew, Cold War Berlin: An Island City, Volume 1: The Birth of the Cold War and the Berlin Airlift, 1945–1950 (Warwick: Helion & Company, 2021)
Long, Andrew, Cold War Berlin: An Island City, Volume 2: The Berlin Wall, 1950–1961 (Warwick: Helion & Company, 2021)
Long, Andrew, Cold War Berlin: An Island City, Volume 3: US Forces in Berlin – Keeping the Peace, 1945–1994 (Warwick: Helion & Company, 2023)
[i] www.bundeswehr.de, accessed 12 January 2026
[ii] Albania, Czechia, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and the United Kingdom all have professional militaries. The UK, however, has a strong force of Reservists (formerly known as the Territorial Army) who are part-time soldiers.
[iii] Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden and Turkey all currently have compulsory military service.
[iv] In addition, Croatia (EU and NATO) announced it will be introducing mandatory 2-month military training for men aged 19 to 29 in 2026. Austria (EU but not NATO) has compulsory military service for men aged between 18 and 35, who are required to serve for around six months or take part in alternative service. Women can serve voluntarily. Cyprus (EU but not NATO) has compulsory military service for all male citizens over 18, along with some of those who are of Cypriot descent. Women can enlist voluntarily after a law passed parliament in April 2025. In Switzerland (non-EU and NATO) male citizens aged 18 to 30 must serve in the military or join the civil defence or an alternate civilian service. They recently rejected a proposal to extend national service - in the military, civil protection teams or other forms - to women.
[v] The Nationale Volksarmee, the East German armed forces, was created on 18 January 1956, but in practice this was a re-badging of the highly militarised paramilitary arm of the police.
[vi] The German Democratic Republic (East Germany) did not introduce mandatory conscription until 1962, but it was a logical development for its highly militarised society – military training began in schools, and the youth organisations (Young Pioneer, Thälmann Pioneer, and Free German Youth) were feeders into the Nationale Volksarmee (NVA), the East German armed forces.
[vii] East Germany also did not recognise conscientious objectors, and draftees were not exempted from serving with the NVA. They were, however, posted to construction battalions, serving as ‘Bausoldaten’ or ‘construction soldiers’, or to fill worker shortages in sectors such as mining and agriculture. To object, however, marked the individual as politically unreliable and they would incur the ongoing wrath of the State, such as being refused a place at university and limiting career options and progression.
[viii] The current target of 203,000 active-duty soldiers is already running at 80,000 behind, so plans from the German Government to increase the Bundeswehr to 260,000 active soldiers and 200,000 reservists by 2035 require some urgent action.
[ix] Failure to complete the questionnaire could result in a €1,000 fine.
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