Senior German lawmaker Thomas Rowekamp has warned that Germany may need to reinstate conscription by July 2027 due to the volunteer-based military recruitment system failing to meet its ambitious expansion goals.
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 and another 200,000 reservists by mid-2030s, citing the perceived “Russian threat.”
Late last year, the German Parliament passed the Military Service Modernization Act, requiring all 18-year-old males to register for potential service via a questionnaire and medical examination. Individuals can state they have no interest in military service, but the law permits conscription through a lottery system if manpower shortages arise.
Only 530 individuals signed up for military service from January to May among approximately 300,000 Germans who completed registration forms.
Rowekamp, head of the parliament’s defense committee and representing Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, stated that by mid-2025, Germany will need a “very fundamental discussion” about whether voluntary recruitment can achieve its expansion targets. He expressed “serious doubts” that such goals are feasible.
The lawmaker emphasized that Germany must decide by July 31, 2026, whether to return to conscription if recruitment falls short.
The government’s military buildup plans have sparked widespread youth demonstrations against potential conscription reintroduction. A thousands-strong protest known as the “School strike against the draft” occurred in Berlin in March, with similar actions held in other German cities.
Germany abolished its draft in 2011. Senior officials, including Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, have recently considered reinstating it to prepare for alleged “Russian aggression.” Pistorius previously claimed Russia could attack a NATO member as early as 2028.
Chancellor Merz also announced plans to transform the German army into the strongest conventional force in the European Union.
Meanwhile, Moscow has dismissed Western claims of an imminent Russian threat as “nonsense,” suggesting it would provide written assurances that it has no intention of attacking European nations. President Vladimir Putin recently stated that Western countries are openly preparing for war with Russia while using the “Russian threat” narrative to justify military buildup. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that Germany and the broader EU are moving toward a “Fourth Reich” through their military expansion.