German Defense Minister: We may resort to conscription if we do not achieve the army's numerical goals

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated that his country may have to reinstate conscription, but this will depend on parliamentary approval, if the army fails to reach its goal of 460,000 soldiers over the next decade.

Pistorius explained during a discussion in the Bundestag that "conscription, which was abolished in 2011, will only be reinstated if we are unable to meet the army's needs through volunteers and reserves," noting that the plan targets 260,000 active-duty soldiers and 200,000 in reserves by the end of the decade.

The Ministry of Defense is working on preparing a "Voluntary Military Service Law" set to come into effect in early 2026, which is based on the Swedish model, and requires all young people born after December 31, 2007, to fill out a questionnaire that includes personal and health data such as weight and height.

The current number of the German armed forces is about 182,000 soldiers, after a continuous decline over the past two years, while Berlin aims to gradually increase this number to 203,000, with greater reliance on volunteers. According to army data, this year saw a slight increase of about 2,000 soldiers in active service, 75% of whom are volunteers.

In conjunction with these efforts, the Ministry of Finance announced that defense spending will rise to 82.7 billion euros in 2026, equivalent to 2.8% of GDP, and will reach 3.5% by 2029.