German Chancellor Friedrich Merz signaled Sunday that while the country will initially maintain a voluntary military service, it may eventually become mandatory as the Bundeswehr seeks to expand its forces to meet NATO requirements.
Merz made his comments on Sunday in an interview program on public broadcaster ARD.
"I support doing what we agreed upon in the coalition agreement, namely starting with voluntary service for now. But I suspect it will not remain voluntary," said Merz, who heads the German government's conservative bloc.
He noted that there are currently around 350,000 young men per eligible age group and about the same number of women.
However, not all of the men would be drafted or undergo medical examinations. Due to constitutional restrictions, women cannot be drafted.
