Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has rejected accusations from the Union of sabotaging his military service bill. Despite an escalating dispute in the coalition, the government plans to introduce the draft to the Bundestag on Thursday. The conflict centers on changes to the voluntary principle and a controversial lottery system.
The dispute over Germany's military service law has escalated within the coalition. On Tuesday evening, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) rejected accusations from the Union of torpedoing a compromise between SPD and Union parliamentary groups. 'I am not torpedoing, and I am not destructive,' he told the Tagesspiegel. He criticized changes to two central parts of his draft before its official introduction to the Bundestag.
The cabinet had agreed in August on Pistorius' bill, which initially relies on voluntary recruitment. The Union, however, pushed for automatic conscription if insufficient volunteers come forward. SPD and Union negotiators reached a compromise that was set for a press conference on Tuesday afternoon. This was canceled due to resistance in the SPD parliamentary group against a lottery system for selecting those required to muster. Pistorius is said to have campaigned against the agreement there.
Despite the conflict, the coalition is sticking to the schedule. An SPD group spokesperson emphasized: 'Parliament is the right place to clarify open questions on such an important law.' CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann stated in the ZDF show Markus Lanz: 'We absolutely want the first reading this week.' Union deputy parliamentary leader Norbert Röttgen sharply attacked Pistorius: 'I cannot understand how a defense minister can torpedo a legislative process in this way and behave so destructively,' he told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland. Greens spokesperson Sara Nanni said abysses are opening up in the coalition.
The background is the Bundeswehr's need for 80,000 additional soldiers. Currently, about 183,000 active personnel serve; this should rise to 260,000 by the early 2030s. The reform is justified by the heightened threat situation due to Russia's war in Ukraine. Pistorius warned of time losses and called for comprehensive musterings starting in 2027.