During their meeting in the Bendlerblock on Wednesday, the Federal Cabinet approved several pieces of legislation relating to defense. The government announced the introduction of draft laws designed to both strengthen the military reserve and accelerate the expansion of Bundeswehr infrastructure. Additionally, key policy guidelines concerning the amendment of security and preparedness laws-developed collaboratively by the Federal Ministry of Defense and the Federal Ministry of the Interior-were adopted.
The proposed Reserve Strengthening Law mandates increasing the force of the Bundeswehr reserve to a minimum of 200,000 personnel by 2033. Furthermore, the system of “double voluntariness” will be abolished, allowing reservists to be called upon for mandatory service requirements. Employers will be informed of these calls in advance and retain the right to provide input.
To ensure the operational and functional safety of military assets, the Bundeswehr Infrastructure Acceleration Law aims to speed up the planning and execution of all construction projects. This law introduces simplifications within environmental and nature protection legislation, provided these changes remain compliant with European Union guidelines.
