MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Germany, compulsory military service considered to boost armed forces numbers

The initial plan to boost numbers will rely on volunteers, but minister Pistorius warned that it could change if numbers remain insufficient.

The German Conservative leader recently appointed to head a grand coalition, Friedrich Merz in one of his first statements said that “the key message to Donald Trump is Germany is back on track” <br />
And so it seems since Berlin is considering bringing back military conscription from next year unless more volunteers sign up for the armed forces, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has said.

In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntaggszeitung (FAS), Pistorius outlined plans to boost Germany's understrength army.

The initial plan to boost numbers will rely on volunteers, but Pistorius warned that could change if numbers remain insufficient. Compulsory military service was scrapped in 2011.

“Our model is initially based on voluntary participation,” Pistorius told the newspaper.

“If the time comes when we have more capacity available than voluntary registrations, then a decision may be made to make recruitment mandatory:, that is the roadmap,” he added.

Since Russia’s invarion of Ukraine three years ago, Germany has sought to boost its defense spending and capabilities.

Some 100,000 additional soldiers are required to meet its obligations as part of the NATO military alliance.

Pistorius added that Chancellor Friedrich Merz's coalition government is hoping to introduce a new military service bill by January next year.

The defense minister accompanied Merz to Lithuania last week for the official unveiling of an armored tank brigade, Germany's biggest foreign military mission since World War II.