Germany is hoping to counter the rising threat of Russian aggression by reintroducing voluntary military service.
Lawmakers approved mandatory medical checks for young men and will soon send out pamphlets to all 18-year-olds asking if they’re interested and willing to join the armed forces.
The form will be mandatory for men and voluntary for women, and will be sent out beginning in January.
Germany has committed billions to improving its military equipment after years of neglect and the Government has turned its attention to trying to persuade more people to join up.
It is not alone in trying to bolster its armed forces.
Last week, France last week unveiled a programme to train thousands of volunteers aged 18 and 19 starting next year.
Belgium and Poland also have plans to attract more people to train or serve.
Defence Minister Boris Pistorius told lawmakers that ‘allies are looking at Germany’ as a ‘pacesetter’ for European defence.
Germany suspended conscription for men in 2011 and has subsequently struggled to attract large numbers of short-term volunteers.
How many military personnel does Germany have?
In recent years, the number of military personnel has hovered just above 180,000 – compared with 300,000 people in 2001, more than a third of whom were conscripts.
The Government now wants to raise the figure to 260,000 over the next decade. It says it will also need around 200,000 reservists, more than double the current figure.
The plan foresees more attractive pay and conditions for people who join up on a short-term basis, better training and more flexibility on how long people can serve, starting from a minimum of six months.
Could Britain revive conscription?
Since 1963, compulsory military service has been a relic in the UK – an artifact of a different era. Attitudes towards the practice have also dropped.
Currently, the British Army totals a little more than 181,000 people, mostly made up by full-time service personnel and Gurkhas, who comprise 77.7%, and volunteer reserves (17.5%).
Before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, now almost into its fourth year, this question always evoked a resounding ‘no’ from Army and government officials.
But the changing security situation on the continent seems to be pushing for further debate.
So far, the government has not brought the question into debate and most military generals have said conscription would not be needed in the event of a war, hoping that even a small percent of volunteers would do the job.
Which European countries have reintroduced conscription?
France is not the only European nation bolstering its military capabilities – and its approach is seen as much lighter than in many Nordic and Baltic states, where service is compulsory.
Latvia and Croatia are the two most recent EU countries to reintroduce an obligatory term in the ranks.
Meanwhile, the Polish prime minister Donald Tusk has said his government is moving to prepare large-scale military training for every adult male.
Altogether, 10 EU countries have compulsory military service: Austria, Cyprus, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, and Sweden.
Metro went onto a military base in Finland to speak with conscripts earlier this year, who gave their opinion on what the mandatory service means to them.
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