He has moved to sharply increase spending on the military and vowed to turn the German armed forces into "the strongest conventional army in Europe". But members of Merz's conservative CDU/CSU then called for a compulsory element in the form of a "draft lottery" to be applied if there were not enough volunteers. Matthias Miersch, the SPD's parliamentary group leader, said he was certain the Bundeswehr could find enough volunteers, calling the new model "an offer" to young men and women, "not an obligation".
Published at: 2025-11-17 23:30:02
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