German Defense Minister: If the number of volunteers for military service is insufficient, consider restoring compulsory military service.

German Defense Minister Pistorius said in an interview with the German newspaper "Frankfurter Allgemeine" on the 24th that if the German Federal Armed Forces cannot recruit enough volunteers, Germany may consider reintroducing compulsory military service as early as next year. Germany abolished its compulsory military service in 2011 after 55 years of implementation, and currently the German Federal Armed Forces operate on a voluntary basis. Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, Germany has been increasing defense spending in the hopes of increasing the number of troops. However, in recent years, there has been a severe shortage of new recruits under the voluntary service system. The German Federal Armed Forces previously stated that they will need to recruit an additional 100,000 soldiers in the coming years in order to meet NATO's requirements for the German military.