The German cabinet has approved a bill on voluntary military service

The German cabinet has adopted a bill that provides for the introduction of voluntary military service to strengthen national defense in the face of the threat from Russia. This... reports Reuters.

The voluntary service will last six months, after which the servicemen will be transferred to the reserve.

The document sets out specific annual volunteer recruitment targets, gradually increasing from 20,000 in 2026 to 38,000 in 2030.

With this, the German Ministry of Defence plans to double the number of trained reservists from the current level of around 100,000 people.

The German government also expects that some of the volunteers will continue their careers in active service, resulting in the regular army increasing from the current 180,000 to 260,000 soldiers by the beginning of the 2030s.

"The Bundeswehr must grow. The international security situation, above all the aggressive stance of Russia, makes this necessary," said German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.

The bill stipulates that all young men, upon reaching the age of 18, must complete an online questionnaire regarding their readiness to serve and their suitability for military service.

The document also contains provisions according to which, in the event that the planned growth figures for the German army are not achieved, the government may reinstate compulsory military service.

Germany abolished compulsory military service in 2011.

The bill must be approved by parliament.

• On June 5th, it was reported that Germany... will increase the army by 60,000 troops due to the threat from Russia.
• On July 4, it became known that Germany is considering the possibility of procurement of up to 2,500 GTK Boxer armored fighting vehicles and up to 1,000 Leopard 2 main battle tanks as part of the EU's joint efforts to contain Russia.