Germany Votes to Bring Back Voluntary Military Service Programme for 18-Year-Olds

It marks a significant shift in Germany's approach to its military and follows Chancellor Friedrich Merz's push to create Europe's strongest conventional army.

The change means that all 18-year-olds in Germany will be sent a questionnaire from January 2026 asking if they are interested and willing to join the armed forces. The form will be mandatory for men and voluntary for women.

Students at schools across Germany have said they will join strikes in as many as 90 cities on Friday to protest against the move. 

Many young Germans either oppose the new law or are sceptical.

"We don't want to spend half a year of our lives locked up in barracks, being trained in drill and obedience and learning to kill," the organisers of the protests wrote in a statement posted on social media.

"War offers no prospects for the future and destroys our livelihoods."

In Hamburg alone, about 1,500 people were expected to join the protests, and school head teachers warned parents not to take their children out of school for the day. 

German MPs voted by 323 votes to 272 to back the change, making their country the latest European country to launch some form of revised military service.

Last month, France said it was introducing 10 months of voluntary military training for 18- and 19-year-olds.