More than 45,000 students walked out of classrooms across Germany in over 100 cities to protest new compulsory military service legislation. The demonstrations erupted after hundreds of 18-year-old men who registered zero interest in the armed forces received unexpected summonses for mandatory medical examinations.
Tens of Thousands of Students Walk Out Across German Cities
The coordinated protests on Friday drew tens of thousands of participants to the streets in major urban centers including Hamburg, Berlin, Frankfurt, and Kiel. Demonstrators carried anti-war banners and waved flags bearing slogans such as We won’t take part in your wars
as part of the School Strike Against Conscription initiative. Organizers stated that roughly 100 demonstrations took place nationwide to challenge the federal government’s policy shift.
Bela Breitner, an organizer with the protest movement, told reporters that the federal government was serious about gradually reintroducing compulsory military service
through incremental policy changes. Protesters are demanding an immediate halt to forced medical checks, the repeal of the new military framework, and a permanent end to any return of a mandatory draft.
“That is why I am out on the streets today. That is why we are serious about striking until compulsory military service is off the table. We will carry on.”
Elias Bernhard, student protester from Hamburg, via BBC
Early Summonses Ignite Outrage Among 18-Year-Olds
Under the new military service law that took effect at the beginning of 2026, all 18-year-old men must complete a registration questionnaire evaluating their fitness, skills, and interest in joining the Bundeswehr, Germany’s armed forces. While completion of the questionnaire is mandatory for men and voluntary for women, the government previously framed the subsequent medical screening as part of a voluntary recruitment track. Protests intensified rapidly after young men who marked zero interest on their initial forms received official notices ordering them to report for physical exams.
Golo Kirsch, an 18-year-old student from Kiel, described receiving an official notice well ahead of schedule. The military service law requires eligible individuals to participate regardless of their personal preferences.
“We were told it was about volunteering, that the medical checks would come in 2027. But I already had a summons in my mailbox a year early, and the Bundeswehr says the duty already applies now. We won’t let ourselves be forced into a medical check today, and we won’t go into the barracks tomorrow.”
Golo Kirsch, 18-year-old student from Kiel, via Anadolu Agency
A spokesperson for the German Defence Ministry confirmed to journalists that the statutory obligation to undergo medical evaluation applies to all men liable for military service who were born after 31 December 2007
. The ministry noted that since July, approximately 1,000 young men who indicated no interest in serving have already completed the mandatory medical examinations.
Expanding Troop Numbers to Meet NATO Defense Targets
The legislative push stems from Chancellor Friedrich Merz making military expansion a top national priority following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. General compulsory military service was suspended in 2011 under former Chancellor Angela Merkel, leaving the Bundeswehr with a voluntary force. Current active troop levels stand at approximately 186,400 to 186,700 personnel.
New military-service rules are designed to close chronic personnel gaps and satisfy stringent NATO force benchmarks. Berlin aims to scale up active forces to more than 260,000 soldiers by 2035, supported by roughly 200,000 reservists. Achieving this objective requires roughly 20,000 new recruits annually.
Military analysts have repeatedly questioned whether a purely voluntary framework can attract enough volunteers to hit those targets. If voluntary recruitment falls short of official projections or if geopolitical security conditions deteriorate further, the German Bundestag retains the authority to revisit the legislation and implement demand-based conscription or a full mandatory draft.