German Students Rally Nationwide Against Potential Return of Conscription

Students across Germany are participating in school strikes to protest the potential reintroduction of compulsory military service.

Bela Breitner, an organizer with the School Strike Against Compulsory Military Service movement, stated that the federal government is “serious about gradually reintroducing compulsory military service.”

At a protest in Hamburg, demonstrators brandished flags and banners bearing the slogan, “We won’t take part in your wars.”

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has prioritized bolstering the nation’s military capabilities.

A new law establishing voluntary military service took effect in January, aiming to recruit volunteers to augment troop numbers.

However, should the security situation deteriorate or volunteer numbers remain insufficient, the German Parliament, the Bundestag, may consider reinstating a form of compulsory military service.

Under the new legislation, all 18-year-olds in Germany are receiving questionnaires to gauge their interest and willingness to join the armed forces.

Sixteen-year-old protester Elias Bernhard from Hamburg noted that the questionnaire responses “show that young people do not want to join the Bundeswehr [Germany’s army].”

“That is why I am on the streets today,” Bernhard stated. “That is why we are committed to striking until compulsory military service is off the table. We will carry on.”

The questionnaire is mandatory for men and voluntary for women. All 18-year-old men must undergo a medical examination to assess their fitness for potential military service.

Protest organizers say the movement was triggered after 18-year-olds in the northern German towns of Kiel and Flensburg received official invitations for medical exams, despite expressing no interest in joining the army on their registration forms.

The organizing group reports that over a hundred demonstrations are planned across Germany, including in Kiel, Hamburg, Berlin, and Frankfurt.

A Defense Ministry spokesperson told the BBC that under the law, the obligation to undergo a medical examination applies “to all men liable for military service who were born after 31 December 2007.”

This obligation also extends to those who have stated they have no interest in compulsory military service. The spokesperson noted that since July, approximately 1,000 18-year-old men who expressed no interest in the army have undergone the medical examination.

During the Cold War, Germany, like many other European nations, maintained a large standing army. However, following the fall of the Iron Curtain in the 1990s, the country significantly reduced its armed forces.

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel officially ended compulsory military service in 2011.

However, facing perceived threats from Russia and significant pressure from its traditional ally, the United States, Chancellor Merz has vowed to transform the Bundeswehr into Europe’s strongest conventional army.

The Bundeswehr currently comprises approximately 186,700 troops. By the early 2030s, Germany aims to increase this number to 260,000, supplemented by roughly 200,000 reservists, to meet new NATO force targets and bolster national defenses.

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