According to the German Federal Ministry of Defence, the German military has initiated registration and mandatory medical examinations for 18-year-old males, including young Germans who have previously expressed their reluctance to serve in the military.
As reported by the German media Morgenpost on Saturday (September 19), the German military registration system is entering a new trial phase.
Since July, nearly 1000 males have received notifications for medical examinations. Even those who have indicated their lack of interest in joining the military in previous surveys will still receive examination notifications.
The mandatory medical examinations are currently being carried out within the existing capacity of the Federal Armed Forces Career Center, primarily in locations such as Berlin.
The new “Military Service Law” in Germany, which came into effect at the beginning of this year, stipulates that all 18-year-old males must register and undergo medical examinations.
The program is scheduled to be fully implemented nationwide in July 2027. Prior to that, the Federal Armed Forces will establish 24 modern medical examination centers across the country.
Once the infrastructure is completed, systematic checks will be conducted for the entire age group, with the first batch of males born in 2008 being the initial group to undergo examination.
Currently, the main recipients of examination notifications are individuals who have expressed interest in military service on the questionnaires. However, as the testing capabilities of the centers improve, the number of mandatory examinations is gradually increasing, regardless of their previous willingness to serve.
By the end of August, Germany had sent specialized questionnaires to 451,400 18-year-old citizens, including 231,700 males. Approximately 96% of males completed and returned the questionnaires within the specified deadline. Since females are not required to fill out the questionnaire, their response rate was only 3.5%.
Among all those expressing interest in serving, around 3400 individuals have completed the selection process, with 1155 male and female candidates subsequently confirmed to enter military service in the Federal Armed Forces, with the majority expected to enlist this year.
The number of service applications from German youths is also increasing. In August, the Federal Armed Forces received about 53,100 applications, a 28% increase compared to the same period last year. The new recruits reached 17,000 individuals, a 13% growth from the previous year.
By the end of August, the total number of military personnel in the Federal Armed Forces was 186,400, an increase of approximately 4000 individuals from August 2025, meeting the legally required growth rate of the military force in 2026.