Germany Calls 18-Year-Old Men for Military Tests

The German government has agreed to call up all 18-year-old men for military medical examinations after weeks of tense political negotiations.

While the coalition Government has decided against a new system of compulsory military service, army officials in Berlin are hoping to rebuild the country's shrunken armed forces.

The model was agreed by Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservatives (CDU) and the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD).

Under the agreed plans, a hybrid system would be built around voluntary service with the option of a mandatory call-up if needed.

In the face of perceived threats from Russia and heavy pressure from the US, Chancellor Merz has pledged to rebuild the Bundeswehr into Europe's strongest conventional army.

It currently has around 182,000 uniformed troops and has set a goal of increasing the size of the force to 255,000-270,000 with another 200,000 reservists.

The war in Ukraine and a stark warning from the administration of US President Donald Trump that Europe must take responsibility for its own defence has set off a scramble to rebuild and re-equip armed forces after years of neglect.

Defence Minister Boris Pistorius warned last year that Germany must be ready for war by 2029 and even before Chancellor Merz took office in May, parliament agreed an unprecedented overhaul of rules to raise billions of euros for defence spending.

Under the new proposals, expected to come into law at the start of next year, a system of mandatory registration and medical screening will be introduced, while any compulsory call-up would be subject to a separate vote in Parliament.

All 18-year-olds will receive a questionnaire about their interest in serving. For men, answering the questionnaire will be mandatory.

Recruits would receive monthly pay of €2,600 ($3,000).

Medical examinations will begin with those born in 2008 and expand gradually.

If the numbers volunteering for service are insufficient, the Bundestag can vote for needs-based conscription, although the details of how this would function have not been agreed.

Pistorius had previously rejected one compromise, which had put forward the idea of a conscription lottery for young men if voluntary recruitment falls short.

That proposal also called for scrapping a universal medical evaluation of young men's ability for service.

But the arbitrary nature of a lottery could frustrate younger generations, he said, and result in recruiting candidates who were not motivated.

Pistorius said: "We must convince the younger generation with arguments instead of frustrating them.

"We must make it clear to them that it is worthwhile to have a strong army that is a deterrent to states like Russia."

The latest political turbulence in Germany comes after multiple collapses of French governments in the past year, raising the prospect of political paralysis and the rise of hard-right parties.

Support for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) has surged in tandem with a drop in support for the CDU and SPD and the party now frequently polls first place nationwide.

Lawmakers from the CDU's' youth faction warned last week they would withhold support for the pension bill, one of the party's flagship compromises with the SPD that freezes pensions through 2031 while incentivising people to work for longer.

They argue it cements benefits without fixing the financing as Germany ages, leaving young people to foot the bill.