Germany will turn to conscription if there are not enough volunteers for its armed forces, its defense minister said.
Berlin is keen to increase its military heft, and intends to double its army reserves. But Boris Pistorius wants to write a fallback position into the legislation boosting voluntary signups, allowing Germany to introduce a draft “if the numbers are not sufficient.”
Germany’s World War II legacy has long complicated its relationship with its military, but since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine the country has become more unapologetic: Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he wanted Germany to have Europe’s “strongest conventional army,” and scrapped debt rules to allow greater defense spending. It also held its first ever veterans’ day memorial this month.