Wary of Russia, Germany tiptoes toward compulsory military service

Article here. Excerpt:

'Germany took a major step Wednesday toward a controversial return to compulsory military service, as Berlin confronts the inadequacy of its armed forces to stand up to Russia and the prospect that European nations will be tasked with providing security guarantees for Ukraine.

Germany — with the European Union’s largest population and economy — has committed to vast spending to confront the Russian threat amid American reluctance under Donald Trump to pay for Europe’s defense. But Germany also has a woefully understaffed military, and it faces other obstacles to rearmament after largely embracing pacifism since World War II.

On Wednesday, aiming to boost the ranks of the Bundeswehr, the German armed forces, Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s cabinet approved a plan that would reinstate a form of conscription, which has not existed in Germany since being suspended in 2011.

The measure — which needs parliamentary approval — would not subject Germans to draft cards and lotteries. Instead, starting next year, it would require 18-year-old German men to fill out a questionnaire about their physical fitness and willingness to serve. For women, the form would be voluntary. The bill also would allow compulsory military service to be reinstated in the future, with parliamentary consent.

Beginning in 2027, the bill would require all 18-year-old men to undergo a physical fitness exam.
These measures would save time “if mandatory conscription for basic military service has to be activated, because conscription data will then already be available and will not have to be collected in this situation,” according to the draft legislation.'