BERLIN (Realist English). Efforts by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to introduce a new model of military service have suffered a major setback after his coalition partners, the Social Democrats (SPD), abruptly pulled out of a proposed deal at the last minute.
The SPD withdrew from the agreement with Merz’s Christian Democrats (CDU) just hours before a scheduled press conference, which was then cancelled. Party sources told the Financial Times that Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, himself a Social Democrat, had “problems” with the compromise and had not been directly involved in the negotiations.
“The SPD must now sort itself out,” said Norbert Röttgen, the CDU’s deputy parliamentary leader, accusing Pistorius of acting “destructively.”
The dispute has left it uncertain whether the military service reform bill, a flagship initiative for Pistorius, will still be debated in parliament on Thursday as planned.
Fragile coalition under strain
The last-minute breakdown underscores the instability of Merz’s governing coalition, which holds only a razor-thin majority in the Bundestag. In July, a similar split forced the government to postpone a vote on the appointment of three supreme court justices after dissent from within the CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU).
Germany’s rearmament challenge
Germany abolished conscription in 2011, but Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine reignited debate over a possible return to compulsory service as Berlin seeks to rebuild its armed forces.
The EU’s most populous country aims to expand the Bundeswehr from about 180,000 to 260,000 troops by 2035, while also increasing the number of reservists from 60,000 to 200,000 to meet NATO readiness targets.
Pistorius had proposed a voluntary service model, designed to avoid a politically divisive return to the draft. He argued that competitive pay and benefits could attract enough recruits. The cabinet approved his plan in August.
However, senior CDU figures, including Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, criticized the proposal as inadequate in light of growing security threats from Russia, pointing to the lack of concrete recruitment targets and a legal framework for reinstating conscription if needed.
The failed compromise
A tentative compromise reached this week included a lottery-based system to call up young men for compulsory service if voluntary enlistment fell short. Yet SPD lawmakers questioned whether such a system would withstand constitutional scrutiny.
The left-wing Die Linke party also condemned the idea, with one senior MP comparing it to The Hunger Games, where young people are randomly selected to fight.
With divisions widening between Merz’s conservatives and the Social Democrats, analysts say the dispute could delay Germany’s rearmament efforts and further expose the fragility of the ruling coalition amid growing pressure to strengthen Europe’s defenses.
