Young Germans opting out of military service as Berlin strives to boost army

A swearing-in ceremony for new recruits of the Bundeswehr, the German armed forces, in Berlin last year. Photograph: Nadja Wohlleben/Reuters View image in fullscreen A swearing-in ceremony for new recruits of the Bundeswehr, the German armed forces, in Berlin last year. Photograph: Nadja Wohlleben/Reuters Young Germans opting out of military service as Berlin strives to boost army Almost 6,000 people apply to be excluded on moral or religious grounds despite ‘conscription lite’ policy The number of young men applying to be conscientious objectors and refuse armed military service in Germany has risen sharply this year, undermining a drive by Berlin to create Europe’s strongest conventional army and deter the Russian threat. More people had applied to exclude themselves from service on religious or moral grounds in the first half of 2026 than in the whole of last year, according to figures provided by the government on Tuesday. For the period to 30 June, the federal office of family affairs and civil society functions, which rules on such requests, received 5,862 applications, a spokesperson said, confirming a report by the RND media group . This compared with 3,879 applications in the whole of 2025 and 2,249 in 2024. The federal office had previously reported that 2,667 of the requests were granted this year as of the end of May. Last year 2,830 were approved. Germany’s constitution guarantees the right of conscientious objection, stating: “No one shall be compelled against their conscience to perform military service involving the use of arms.” The move to apply for objector status is pre-emptive, since Germany has no active draft. Instead, in an attempt to revamp the country’s depleted military, the government this year required all German men from the age of 18 to complete a form indicating their readiness to serve and undergo a medical examination. Women are being encouraged to volunteer to serve in the military but are not obliged to participate in the selection process under the plan, which was introduced by the popular defence minister, Boris Pistorius of the Social Democrats. View image in fullscreen Boris Pistorius, the German defence minister, in the cockpit of a Eurofighter Typhoon 30-90 jet in Wittmund, north Germany, this month. Photograph: Focke Strangmann/AFP/Getty Images The co-ruling conservative Christian Union parties (CDU/CSU) said if Pistorius failed to make sufficient progress towards a goal of having 260,000 active volunteer soldiers by 2035, conscription – suspended since 2011 – could be resumed. Such a step would require further legislation. In 2011, 4,348 people applied for conscientious objector status. skip past newsletter promotion after newsletter promotion Uproar in Germany over law requiring men get military approval for long stays abroad Read more The rise this year was seen as having been triggered by the new “conscription lite” policy that went into effect on 1 January, as well as concerns about potential milita