Germany’s voluntary military recruitment drive has yielded just 530 new recruits from almost 300,000 18-year-olds contacted this year, prompting harsh criticism of the government’s plans to rejuvenate the country’s armed forces.
Five months after the launch of Germany’s new military registration system, the Defence Ministry said it had sent questionnaires to 298,200 young men and women who turn 18 in 2026. While completing the questionnaire is mandatory for men, women are invited to participate voluntarily.
Recipients must provide details on their health, fitness, and willingness to serve—information that will be used to decide who is selected.
According to the ministry’s first assessment, around 25% of young men initially expressed an interest in joining the Bundeswehr. Following telephone interviews, that figure fell to 12.5%, with approximately 1,500 candidates undergoing medical assessments.
Around 80% were declared fit for service, and roughly 530 ultimately received confirmed offers to begin at least six months of voluntary military service this year.
The ministry stressed that many of those contacted remain in school or vocational training and are therefore not yet available for enlistment.
Despite the low number, the government is trying to sell its recruitment efforts as a success, saying that around 10,000 volunteers from other age groups have applied for military service during the first half of 2026, an increase of 8% compared with the same period last year.
As we previously reported, youngsters who refuse to fill out the questionnaire could face fines of up to €250, with the possibility of harsher penalties—including imprisonment—if they continue to refuse.
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Germany aims to increase the strength of its armed forces from approximately 186,000 active personnel to around 260,000 by the mid-2030s to meet NATO capability targets. However, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has repeatedly warned that compulsory service could become necessary if voluntary recruitment proves insufficient.
Reacting to the latest figures, Roderich Kiesewetter of the centre-right governing CDU party said voluntary recruitment alone “is not enough” and called for the reintroduction of compulsory military service.
The opposition right-wing AfD described the figures as inadequate for building a credible military reserve. AfD MP Jan Nolte blamed the Social Democrats, saying the party had spent years dismissing “love for Germany” as “naive and dangerous,” thereby undermining the country’s willingness to defend itself.
From July 2027, Germany plans to introduce compulsory medical and fitness assessments for all 18-year-old men. Any full restoration of military conscription, however, would require parliamentary approval.
