Germany agrees to keep military service voluntary

Germany's coalition government has agreed a new voluntary military service model, politicians said Thursday, after weeks of wrangling over whether there should be a compulsory element.

From next year, all 18-year-old men will have to fill in a questionnaire on whether they would want to serve and undergo an armed forces physical test, if the plan is adopted.

No one will be compelled to join the Bundeswehr, said Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, who has advocated for making military service more attractive to draw more recruits.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz has made bolstering Germany's ill-equipped military a major priority, citing a hostile Russia and doubts about future US security commitment to Europe.

He has moved to sharply increase

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