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Germany’s parliament, the Bundestag, has voted to introduce voluntary military service, a move aimed at bolstering defenses in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
It marks a major shift in Germany’s military approach and follows Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s push to create Europe’s most powerful conventional army.
The change means that from January 2026, all 18-year-olds in Germany will receive a questionnaire asking if they are interested and willing to join the armed forces. The form is mandatory for men and voluntary for women.
Students at schools across Germany said they would join strikes in as many as 90 cities on Friday to protest the move.
Many young Germans either oppose the new law or are skeptical.
“We don’t want to spend half a year in a military camp, being trained, obeyed and killed,” protest organizers wrote in a statement posted on social media.
“The war offers no prospects for the future and destroys our livelihoods.”
In Hamburg alone, some 1,500 people are expected to take part in the protest, with school principals warning parents not to take their children out of school that day.
German MPs voted 323 to 272 in favor of the change, making Germany the latest European country to introduce some form of revision of its military service system.
Last month, France said it would offer 10 months of voluntary military training to 18- and 19-year-olds.
The government says military service will remain voluntary for as long as possible, but from July 2027 all 18-year-old males will have to undergo a medical examination to assess their suitability for military service.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said universal health checks were necessary so that in the event of an attack Germany would not waste time determining “who is competent as a protector of the homeland and who is not.”
The Bundeswehr currently has about 182,000 soldiers, and Pistorius hopes to increase the number of active soldiers by 20,000 next year.
The long-term goal is to increase the number to 260,000 by the early 2030s, supplemented by about 200,000 reservists, to meet new NATO force objectives and strengthen Germany’s defences.
While the plan is for voluntary service, the Bundestag may consider some form of compulsory military service if the security situation worsens or too few people volunteer.
If war breaks out, the military will be able to use questionnaires and physical exams to recruit potential recruits.
Like other European countries, Germany reduced its armed forces during peacetime in the 1990s. During the Cold War, it had nearly half a million troops.
Compulsory military service in Germany ended in 2011 under former Chancellor Angela Merkel.
But now, facing a clear threat from Russia and intense pressure from Germany’s traditional ally the United States, Friedrich Merz has pledged to rebuild the Bundeswehr into Europe’s most powerful conventional army.
NATO countries are facing pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump’s White House to increase defense spending.
Incentives for volunteering are relatively high, with a promised salary of approximately €2,600 per month. In France, volunteers are paid at least €800 (£700) a month.
Germany’s Bundestag is also due to vote on Friday on a controversial pension reform bill that would keep state pensions at current levels until 2031.
The bill is a key pillar of the coalition agreement between Merz’s conservatives and his center-left partners, the Social Democrats, who hold a slim 12-vote governing advantage.
However, there are doubts it will pass a parliamentary vote as younger members of Merz’s conservatives threaten to rebel. They say the plan is not financially sustainable and will put the burden on younger generations.
But Germany’s far-left opposition party said it would abstain from the vote, meaning the coalition would need fewer votes to pass the bill and therefore not have to worry about potential rebels in its ranks.
A government crisis may have been narrowly averted.
