Lawmakers within the CDU/CSU alliance are pushing for legislative groundwork to be laid now for a potential return to mandatory military service, even before the government’s planned reforms are fully implemented. Thomas Röwekamp, Chairman of the Defense Committee and a CDU parliamentarian, voiced these intentions in the “Berlin Playbook” podcast.
Röwekamp expressed skepticism regarding the sufficiency of Defense Minister Boris Pistorius’s proposed voluntary service model to meet the ambitious goal of bolstering the Bundeswehr (German armed forces) by approximately 80,000 active soldiers and establishing a reserve force of 260,000 by 2031. He suggested that the volunteer system alone may not be adequate to achieve these targets within the projected timeframe.
The draft legislation, expected to be presented to the cabinet at the end of August, is currently under review by the CDU/CSU. Röwekamp emphasized that the bill will undergo revisions, stating that no legislation proceeds unchanged through the parliamentary process. The alliance’s aim is to ensure the feasibility of NATO-agreed capability goals regarding personnel availability.
Should the recruitment of volunteers prove insufficient, Röwekamp argued, the state needs the flexibility to respond swiftly. He proposed a framework that would allow for the immediate reinstatement of mandatory military service, without requiring further parliamentary approval, in situations such as heightened security concerns or persistent recruitment shortfalls.
To facilitate this potential rapid response, a legal authorization is considered necessary. This would enable the government to quickly reimpose conscription should circumstances warrant it. Röwekamp deemed the current draft plan “underambitious in terms of timing” and potentially insufficient to ultimately secure the defense capabilities required by NATO.
