Pistorius sees no need for conscription as Bundeswehr reaches 190,000 soldiers

Personnel at a 13-year high

Defence Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) said the Bundeswehr currently has about 190,000 soldiers, its highest level in 13 years, in comments to the Funke newspapers. Pistorius also said the force had more than 190,000 soldiers in October, its largest personnel strength since 2013. n-tv put the current headcount at about 184,000, so the reports do not agree on the present figure. Pistorius credited the rise to measures in the new military service law and said the recent recruits were all volunteers. In a Deutschlandfunk interview recorded on Friday, 6 November, he said the government would keep the same course in the coming years.

n-tv, current184,000

stern/Funke, current (about)190,000

n-tv, current

184000 soldiers

stern/Funke, current (about)

190000 soldiers

Data from the article text

Law and the conscription question

The new military service law took effect in January 2026 and requires young men to undergo mandatory medical screening, while reinstating registration. Service itself stays voluntary under the law. Since this year, nearly 500,000 questionnaires have been sent to 18-year-olds, covering the 2008 birth cohort onward, and men must answer them while women may. According to Tagesspiegel, the questionnaires are not meant as advertising but restore the earlier registration process. Pistorius said the state no longer knows which 18-year-olds exist in Germany and might need to be called up. The goal set out by n-tv is to grow the force from about 184,000 to between 255,000 and 270,000 soldiers by 2035, with conscription considered only if volunteers fall short.

Debate over conscription and CDU criticism

Pistorius told the Funke newspapers in their Saturday editions that the Bundeswehr would have no growth problems if the current course continues, and that conscription would then not need discussion in any form. He framed this as the central point of his remarks.

“If the course continues, we have no growth problems.”

Pistorius conceded that he cannot see the future and that the recruitment curve could fall again in two or three years, which would require a response. He still said he believed in the principle of voluntary service.

Criticism came from the CDU, the coalition partner. Norbert Röttgen, deputy parliamentary group leader of the CDU, told the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger that his party's view was clear.

“Cautious optimism is fine, hasty statements are out of place.”

Röttgen acknowledged that the growth figures were encouraging but said the progress was still only the first five kilometres of a marathon.

Youth protests and recruiting women

Demonstrations by young people, which also opposed conscription, have drawn attention to the debate. Pistorius said he understood the worries of young people who had never had to think about such questions. He said that when protesters say they do not want to die at the front or in a war, he wants exactly the same thing. He argued that strong armed forces able to deter are needed so that Germany never has to fight anywhere. He also announced new efforts to recruit more women, while conceding that the force remains numerically a men's club that will not change quickly.

“But we want more women in the Bundeswehr. It is especially strong when it reflects the breadth of our society.”

He said applications and hiring of women show a positive trend, but the numbers are not yet satisfactory.

Harassment cases and a pending study

Pistorius was also asked about the rising number of reported violations of sexual self-determination in the armed forces. He said good prevention should keep such incidents from happening, and that any case would be punished decisively and uncompromisingly. He put the figure of suspected cases in 2025 at about 460, which looks small for a force of this size but causes serious damage to those affected and to the Bundeswehr's reputation. He said he would present the results of a dark-field study on the topic in the week of 9 November 2026, adding that the findings could be very unpleasant.