German Defense Minister announce the increase of applicants who joining the army

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said to the German media, “there is an increasing number of people volunteering because they want to do a service to their country… Compared to the previous year, the number of people who applied for our military service increased by 15% as of July 8”.

Pistorius is betting on a new model of military service in order to attract more personnel to the ranks of the Bundeswehr.

The model provides for 6 months of basic military service with an additional option of voluntary military service of up to 17 additional months.

To this end, a mandatory registration will be applied, in which young men are obliged to provide information about their readiness and ability to perform military service – young women can do so voluntarily.

From 2025, an additional 5,000 mandatory recruits will initially be recruited from the 400,000 candidates from the annual batch, with the number planned to be increased later.

Pistorius intends to implement his plans for the time being without an amendment to the constitution, which would be necessary for the implementation of compulsory public military service.

“I don’t see that we will be able to change the constitution in this legislative period, even if the Christian Alliance approves the plans,” Pistorius said.

“However, I need a quick start in the military registration application because we are threatened… So, we’re paving the way as quickly as possible with men now, and then women will be included,” he added.

The bill is planned to be ready by the fall, Pistorius expects the new legislation to come into force before the 2025 summer holidays, and maybe even in the first quarter of the next year.