Number of people objecting to military service in Germany rises sharply

(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) After the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, the number of applicants in Germany who refused to perform military service increased year by year: 951 in 2022; 1,079 in 2023; 2,249 in 2024, and 3,879 in 2025. According to data released by the Federal Office for Family and Civil Society Affairs (Bundesamt für Familie und zivilgesellschaftliche Aufgaben), which handles this matter, as of the end of August this year, the department had received 12,102 applications for conscientious objections to military service.

In 2011, Germany officially ended its decades-old universal compulsory military service and switched to an all-volunteer professional military. However, starting from January 1 this year, the relevant regulations of Germany’s new military service system have officially come into effect. Under the new regulations, service in the Bundeswehr remains voluntary, but military service registration is mandatory for men born in 2008 and later. All men and women who turn 18 in that year receive a questionnaire to determine their willingness and suitability to serve in the Bundeswehr. Men must complete an online questionnaire. Women volunteer. From July 2027, all men who turn 18 in that year must take part in the recruitment physical examination organized by the Bundeswehr. In addition, the German government and the Bundestag have the power to activate a "need-based conscription system" if the number of volunteers is insufficient or the security situation deteriorates.

Germany’s Basic Law clearly guarantees citizens’ right to object to military service on grounds of conscience. Article 4, paragraph 3, of the Basic Law clearly stipulates: "No one shall be allowed to perform military service against his conscience. The specific details shall be provided for by federal law." Therefore, if an application is made and determined to be a "military objector", the objector will not be conscripted even if national defense requires it.

Further reading: Why is the number of conscientious objectors soaring in Germany?

(German Evangelical News Agency)