Plans to re-introduce military service in Germany have been thrown into chaos because of an 11th hour row amongst the governing parties.
A compromise, which was set to include the possibility of some mandatory conscription, has been shot down.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said he wants Germany to have the strongest conventional army in Europe.
But on Tuesday night, a press conference to announce the proposals was abruptly cancelled, ahead of a draft bill going before parliament on Thursday. Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has denied accusations of "torpedoing" the plans.
Despite being the EU's largest economy, Germany's military has been poorly funded for decades following the end of the Cold War.
