The chairman of the German Armed Forces Association, André Wüstner, has advocated for the reintroduction of conscription as a necessary step to achieve planned increases in the size of the Bundeswehr.
Wüstner stated that the armed forces need to grow from 170,000 to 260,000 soldiers, comprising both professional and conscripted personnel. He expressed skepticism that this expansion can be achieved through voluntary service alone, stating, “I know of no one in the Bundeswehr who believes this will succeed without conscription”. He urged the federal government to decide by the end of 2027, if voluntary service is sufficient, to allow time for a potential shift towards conscription if necessary, aiming for a decision to be presented to parliament.
He highlighted the difficulty already being experienced in reaching Defence Minister Pistorius’ target of 15,000 voluntary recruits this year, with the minister aiming for over 100,000 voluntary soldiers by the end of the decade. Wüstner expressed doubt that this latter goal would be met and called on the government to begin preparing the public for the possibility of conscription and to develop alternative civilian service options. “We will, in all likelihood, not achieve the necessary increase in personnel in the coming years solely through voluntary service.
Wüstner welcomed the government’s legislative draft concerning the registration and assessment of potential conscripts, noting that the new questionnaire has prompted increased engagement with the Bundeswehr. However, he cautioned that simply engaging with the topic does not equate to enlistment.
He suggested that the possibility of deploying the Bundeswehr for peacekeeping operations in Ukraine could further discourage potential voluntary recruits. He emphasized the need to clarify that voluntary service personnel are not obligated to participate in foreign deployments, acknowledging that ongoing debates about security guarantees for Ukraine are influencing attitudes toward voluntary service.
Generally, Wüstner indicated that the Bundeswehr will face increasing demands, as the United States demonstrates a decreased willingness to contribute to European and German security. “We Europeans and Germans must recognize that we are responsible for our own security – and that cannot be outsourced” he stated, adding that the government and armed forces must respond accordingly. “Personnel recruitment and retention is the strategic challenge – and we need to accelerate now”.
