Suche
Mein Konto
Bundeswehr lottery system: Young men have to play for military service!
The federal government is planning a lottery system for military service from January 2026. The left-wing faction sharply criticizes the procedure.
Bundeswehr lottery system: Young men have to play for military service!
The Bundeswehr is facing fundamental changes: a new lottery system for compulsory military service is to be introduced from January 2026. The coalition factions of the Union and SPD have agreed on this Northern Courier reported. The aim of the process is to draw a certain number of young men who have filled out a military service questionnaire and invite them to the muster.
The specific details are still being worked out: If there are too few volunteers, the men selected will be required to do military service for at least six months. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) will soon announce how many conscripts will be needed if necessary and when the conscription will begin. The draft law also stipulates that the federal government can conscript conscripts if the security policy situation changes.
Inspiration from Denmark
Denmark is often used as a model in this debate. There is a similar lottery system in which conscription applies to everyone, but only about a fifth of those registered as fit for military service are actually drafted into service. The federal government's hope is that a comparable system can also work in Germany. However, the CDU/CSU is calling for more binding law to ensure that enough soldiers are available.
In recent years, the Bundeswehr has tried to increase its personnel from around 180,000 to 260,000 soldiers. In addition, there are plans to recruit around 200,000 reservists. However, the idea of introducing a lottery system does not only have supporters. The left-wing faction in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania expresses clear criticism: Torsten Koplin, parliamentary managing director of the left-wing faction, describes the lottery process as “roulette on the backs of young people” and warns that it could be a matter of life and death. In his opinion, the Union and the SPD are undermining fundamental rights through this procedure.
Criticism of militarization
The left-wing faction not only rejects the lottery process, it also calls for an end to all compulsory military service and the deletion of compulsory military service from the Basic Law. Koplin and his colleagues are committed to sustainable investment in education, health and climate protection and see the militarization of society as dangerous.
Exactly when the changes to the law will be introduced into the Bundestag has already been scheduled: public information on this is planned for Wednesday, followed by the first reading on Thursday. It remains to be seen whether the lottery will be supported by the majority or whether it will further fuel resistance among the population and the opposition.
Given this development, one can only hope that future decisions will be made wisely and responsibly - after all, there is a lot at stake and the well-being of young people concerns us all.