1 in 4 young men have ignored German military service form

Since January, 18-year-old German men have been required to complete and return a questionnaire regarding their willingness to serve in the German Army (Bundeswehr). Some are following the rules, and some are ignoring the form.

A quarter ignore Bundeswehr questionnaire

According to Bundeswehr figures reported by Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND), 72 percent of 18-year-old German men have completed and returned their military service questionnaire, and 28 percent have not responded. The questionnaire is voluntary for female citizens. 

The government changed Germany’s military service law in November 2025 and introduced the mandatory questionnaire. The letters, which were first sent out in January, contain a QR code linking to the questionnaire, which is completed on the internet.

According to RND, half of the 18-year-old men who have responded since January are interested in completing at least six months of voluntary service. But this does not necessarily mean they will serve. After completing the questionnaire, respondents must be examined by a doctor to determine whether they are fit to serve.

If they pass the examination and choose to serve, those who serve fewer than 12 months will become “voluntary military personnel” and those who serve longer than 12 months will become “temporary soldiers”.

The German government has set a goal of increasing the number of voluntary troops from 184.000 to 270.000 by 2035 and has said that if these targets are not met, needs-based conscription may be introduced.

Gov’t threatens fine for those who don’t respond

Young men have one month to complete and return the questionnaire. In light of the response rate figures, the Ministry of Defence is threatening those who continually fail to respond with fines of up to 1.000 euros.

According to a recent report in the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung, citing figures from the Federal Office for Family Affairs and Civil Society Functions, the number of applications for conscientious objector status is also rising in Germany.

In 2024, there were 2.998 applications for conscientious objector status, and in 2025, 3.867 applications. In the first quarter of 2026 alone, 2.656 applications were submitted.

On May 8, the anniversary of Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender to the Allies, young people will take part in another nationwide school strike against the new military service law. A previous school strike in early March saw around 50.000 young people protest across 90 German cities.