German Chancellor Friedrich Merz signaled Sunday that while the country will initially maintain a voluntary military service, it may eventually become mandatory as the Bundeswehr seeks to expand its forces to meet NATO requirements.
Merz made his comments on Sunday in an interview program on public broadcaster ARD.
"I support doing what we agreed upon in the coalition agreement, namely starting with voluntary service for now. But I suspect it will not remain voluntary," said Merz, who heads the German government's conservative bloc.
He noted that there are currently around 350,000 young men per eligible age group and about the same number of women.
However, not all of the men would be drafted or undergo medical examinations. Due to constitutional restrictions, women cannot be drafted.
NATO considers a force size of 260,000 necessary for Germany to withstand a potential attack, such as one from Russia, meaning the Bundeswehr needs approximately 80,000 additional active soldiers.
The proposal by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, of the Social Democrats, relies on voluntary enlistment and aims to attract more young people by making service more appealing - including through better pay and conditions.
Conservative lawmakers have criticized the draft legislation for failing to specify under what circumstances voluntary service could transition into a compulsory system.
"There is no way around conscription. Half measures are no longer enough. A wishy-washy conscription policy helps no one," Bavarian Premier Markus Söder, one of the country's most powerful conservative politicians, told the Sunday edition of the Bild newspaper.
The new military service law was originally scheduled for its first reading in the Bundestag this coming Thursday. However, on Saturday, spokesmen from both coalition factions announced that parliamentary discussions would begin the week after next instead.
In his TV interview, Merz also addressed recent drone sightings, which he attributed to Russia.
"It is a serious threat to our security," he said. However, he sought to reassure the public: "So far, we have not had a single incident involving an armed drone. These are reconnaissance attempts and attempts to unsettle the population."
The government, he added, would take action against this.
