Conscription comeback: Will Germany's youth want to serve again? | Berlin Briefing

It’s a deal: Germany’s coalition has agreed to restart voluntary military conscription from January 2026. But the law was negotiated without youth input, Quentin Gärtner from Germany’s school pupils' association criticizes. The new model includes a path to mandatory mustering: every male born after 1 January 2008 will soon have to respond to a government questionnaire at age 18. Military service will be voluntary for now. But will it attract more young recruits in big numbers? And is it fair? DW's Berlin Briefing hosts Michaela Küfner and Nina Haase speak to Marcel Bohnert, deputy head of the Bundeswehr Association, who warns that Germany needs more soldiers to face the growing threat from Russia and explains why Germany still struggles to find its footing on defense. 

CHAPTERS:

00:00:00 - 00:01:39 - Introduction: Germany’s return to conscription
00:01:40 - 00:04:56 - mustering up
00:04:57 - 00:06:42 - scaling up
00:06:43 - 00:11:38 - voices from the next generation
00:11:39 - 00:12:37 - voluntary vs. mandatory service
00:12:38 - 00:15:55 - “you need us” young
00:15:56 - 00:19:24 - defense homework
00:19:25 - 00:22:08 - preparing for emergencies
00:22:09 - 00:24:18 - societal divide between genders?
00:24:19 - 00:27:14 - intergenerational justice
00:27:15 - 00:32:43 - 260,000 by 2035?
00:32:44 - 00:34:18 - lessons from the Scandinavian model
00:34:19 - 00:39:38 - final reflections & outlook

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Post from DW News on November 13, 2025

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