German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced that the country may return to compulsory military service. This was reported by DW.
He said that if sufficient volunteers don't come to the Bundeswehr (German armed forces), it's likely that the mandatory service that was abolished in 2011 will be reinstated.
"A new volunteer program will begin in 2025. Through this, we want to awaken in young people the desire to serve their country. But this is only the first step," Pistorius said.
Currently, there are approximately 181,500 military personnel in the Bundeswehr. By 2031, it is planned to increase this figure to 203,000 people.
At the beginning of 2025, interest in military service increased by 20%. Nevertheless, the minister emphasized that this is not enough:
"There are still few people to achieve the results that our armed forces expect."
