Five months after the introduction of the new military registration system, the German government sent out a total of 298,200 questionnaires to young men and women. Of the 153,000 men contacted, who were required to respond, 96 percent complied. Among women, for whom there is no obligation, the response rate was a mere four percent. The result of the postal recruitment campaign is meager: only about 530 volunteers were recruited for military service, according to an analysis by the Ministry of Defense.
Based on the feedback received, the German Armed Forces have conducted 1,500 conscription examinations so far, with another 600 appointments planned. More than one in five young men expressed a general interest in military service, but many applicants will not be available for another one or two years due to school or vocational training.
Nevertheless, the chairman of the Defense Committee, Thomas Röwekamp (CDU), believes a return to compulsory military service remains a possibility, given the modest results. “The feedback received so far from the questionnaire on the new military service has both positive and negative aspects,” he told the RND. He was pleased with the high participation rate among men but disappointed with the low female turnout. Röwekamp considers it advisable to wait for the results of a full cohort: “Because ultimately, what matters for our military capabilities is not the abstract willingness to serve, but the concrete number of soldiers in the Bundeswehr.” The armed forces need 50 percent more career and temporary service members, as well as more than three times as many recruits. “Whether this can be achieved with the current voluntary system or whether we have to return to conscription is something we will have to decide next year.”
The new military service law aims to increase the number of soldiers from the current figure of approximately 184,000 to between 255,000 and 270,000 by 2035. If these targets are not met, the introduction of conscription is thus likely.
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