The German Parliament advanced a draft law to move Germany to a voluntary conscription model and begin mandatory physical checks for all male citizens coming of age, Defense News reported yesterday. Under the new legislation, the Bundeswehr armed forces will be legally bound to its goal of stocking up the number of both active personnel and reservists to a total of up to 470,000 soldiers, of whom 270,000 would be active-duty soldiers by 2035. On Dec. 5, the Bundeswehr said it had around 184,330 active personnel, up 1.5% or 2,750 soldiers, from a year ago.
There are “currently” no plans for mandatory conscription, the Bundeswehr said in a statement after the draft law passed. “If that is not enough, we will have no choice but to introduce partial conscription,” said Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on the sidelines of the parliament vote. A provision for a compulsory military service on a needs basis is included in the draft law, but would require an additional vote in parliament to activate.
