Germany’s defense minister indicated Saturday that mandatory military service could be reintroduced if a revised volunteer program doesn’t attract enough recruits.

In an interview, Boris Pistorius outlined the plan to strengthen the military, which currently relies on voluntary enlistment. However, he cautioned that this approach might be subject to change.

“If voluntary registrations exceed available capacity, mandatory recruitment may be implemented. That is the intended progression,” he stated.

He added that Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government is expediting a new military service law, with the aim of enacting it as early as January 2026.

Discussions about reinstating the draft have grown more frequent amid increasing worries regarding national defense capabilities and shifting security challenges in Europe.

Germany suspended conscription in 2011, and has since faced challenges in meeting troop quotas as defense needs have increased following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Pistorius also mentioned that the military service strategy includes initiatives to re-engage more reservists.