Germany’s coalition government has agreed on a plan for a three-tier system to boost recruitment for the Bundeswehr, the country’s military. Relevant passage translated:
> According to sources in the coalition, a three-stage system based on the Danish model is now planned, as reported by the Reuters news agency. All men from a given cohort of 18-year-olds must complete a questionnaire on military service and can volunteer for at least six months. If there are not enough volunteers, a lottery will be held among the age group in a second stage. Those selected will first be specifically persuaded to serve voluntarily. If this does not achieve the desired result, the Bundestag would have to pass a resolution in a third step and forcibly conscript those who are missing.
Another part of the plan would mandate that all 18-year-olds in a given cohort report to an army medical screening, beginning in 2027.
Defense minister Boris Pistorius of the SPD has emphasized that the government wants to use voluntary service as much as possible to increase recruitment numbers, but has left the door open to reintroducing conscription, which was abolished in 2011. The bill will go through its first reading in the Bundestag this Thursday.
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Article in German since I couldn’t find any English language reporting on this yet; [here’s an article](https://www.euractiv.com/news/conscription-lottery-to-beef-up-german-military-on-the-cards/) in English talking about what the plan could look like.
Germany’s coalition government has agreed on a plan for a three-tier system to boost recruitment for the Bundeswehr, the country’s military. Relevant passage translated:
> According to sources in the coalition, a three-stage system based on the Danish model is now planned, as reported by the Reuters news agency. All men from a given cohort of 18-year-olds must complete a questionnaire on military service and can volunteer for at least six months. If there are not enough volunteers, a lottery will be held among the age group in a second stage. Those selected will first be specifically persuaded to serve voluntarily. If this does not achieve the desired result, the Bundestag would have to pass a resolution in a third step and forcibly conscript those who are missing.
Another part of the plan would mandate that all 18-year-olds in a given cohort report to an army medical screening, beginning in 2027.
Defense minister Boris Pistorius of the SPD has emphasized that the government wants to use voluntary service as much as possible to increase recruitment numbers, but has left the door open to reintroducing conscription, which was abolished in 2011. The bill will go through its first reading in the Bundestag this Thursday.
!ping GER