In mid-January, the first letters will be sent to those young people who will be of age by the beginning of January 2026. This was announced by the Federal Ministry of Defense. With a questionnaire should be the readiness for service in the Bundeswehr be queried. Filling it out is mandatory for young men. The new one was on Friday Military service law after the Bundestag also approved by the Bundesrat.
Women who will turn 18 next year will also be contacted. However, you do not have to fill out the questionnaire. According to the information, the letters will also provide information about other voluntary services.
Interest in the Bundeswehr is entered in scale
According to the Ministry of Defense, the letters will contain a QR code that leads to the online questionnaire. Those contacted can fill out the personal questions using their cell phones. The Bundeswehr has already posted the questionnaire on its website.
Within a month young ones have to Men from those born in 2008 respond. The first twelve questions are about personal information:
- school education
- Vocational training and area of vocational training
- Driving license
- Language skills
- Size
- Weight
- estimated fitness level
- possible recognized severe disability
- possible further military service and state of further military service
- possible previous experience as a soldier
Then it’s about the willingness to do so Military service and the potential possible area. What is asked for:
- willingness to join the Bundeswehr on a scale from 0 for no interest to 10 for particularly great interest,
- the possible length of military service, starting from 6 months to more than 6 years,
- the preferred genre, i.e. army, navy or air force,
- and the beginning, i.e. from when one can imagine serving in the Bundeswehr.
The number of soldiers and reservists should be increased
According to the Ministry of Defense, the aim of the questionnaire is to obtain a comprehensive situation and data picture of the readiness of the young generation and to rebuild military registration and monitoring. “In the future, 24 muster centers and eight large career centers with assessment will be available for mustering,” the ministry said.
Due to the changed security situation, the number of troops in the Bundeswehr is to be increased from the current 184,000 soldiers to 255,000 to 270,000 in active troops by 2035. 200,000 reservists are also needed.
The service initially remains voluntary, even if answering the form is mandatory. If you don’t answer, you risk a fine. In the future, muster training will again be mandatory for young men. Thousands of students demonstrated against the law in several German cities.
