Germany Plans Lottery-Based Conscription Under Military Service Reform

Germany is planning to introduce a lottery system to select conscripts as part of a reformed military service framework.

According to a report by RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND), the parliamentary groups of the CDU/CSU and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) have reached a preliminary agreement on a compromise approach to implementing the new conscription system.

According to the agreement, all young men will be required to fill out a mandatory questionnaire. After that, a certain number of them will be selected by lottery to undergo a medical examination and an interview.

If there are not enough volunteers, those selected by lottery may be required to serve for at least six months.

The compromise partly follows the Danish model, where military conscription formally applies to everyone, but in practice, only about one-fifth of eligible individuals serve, selected through a lottery.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius is expected to determine the specific figures — how many conscripts are needed and from what date. These numbers will form the basis for deciding whether the compulsory elements of service will be implemented.

The government-approved draft law currently states only that the Bundestag may decide to introduce mandatory conscription if the defense situation requires it and volunteers are unable to meet the military’s staffing needs.

In August 2025, the German government approved a draft law aimed at amending conscription regulations as the country seeks to increase the size of its armed forces.

The new model of military service, proposed by Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, is primarily based on voluntary enlistment and, for now, does not include mandatory conscription. However, the proposal contains a provision that allows for the reinstatement of compulsory service in the event of a shortage of volunteers.

The aim of the reform is to expand the armed forces to at least 260,000 active personnel, along with an additional 200,000 reservists.

At the same time, Germany is running an active recruitment campaign, which has successfully increased the number of citizens signing service contracts. As of July 21st, 2025, the Bundeswehr’s active strength stood at around 183,100 – more than 2,000 higher than the same date last year.

This growth trend continues: in 2024, the Bundeswehr saw a record intake of about 20,300 new recruits, marking an 8% increase compared to 2023. Of these, roughly 1,500 joined as either professional soldiers or conscripts.