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More than 45,000 students across Germany walked out of class on Friday to protest plans for compulsory military service after hundreds of young men were summoned for medical examinations, according to the School Strike Against Conscription initiative.
Demonstrations were held in more than 100 cities after the German Defense Ministry began calling in 18-year-old men for medical screening. Organizers said that some of those summoned had indicated they had no interest in military service, giving it a score of zero out of 10.
Golo Kirsch, an 18-year-old student from Kiel, said he received a summons despite being told that medical checks would not begin until next year.
“We were told it was about volunteering, that the medical checks would come in 2027,” he said. “But I already had a summons in my mailbox a year early, and the Bundeswehr says the duty already applies now.”
Kirsch added: “We won’t let ourselves be forced into a medical check today, and we won’t go into the barracks tomorrow.”
What are the protesters demanding?
The students are calling for an end to compulsory medical examinations, the repeal of Germany’s new military service law and an end to what they describe as a step-by-step return to conscription.
The law, which took effect at the beginning of 2026, requires all men turning 18 to complete a questionnaire covering their fitness, skills and interest in joining the armed forces.
Although military service remains voluntary for now, protesters argue that the government intends to reintroduce conscription in stages, beginning with mandatory questionnaires this year.
Germany seeks to expand its armed forces
Medical screening is mandatory for men born in 2008 or later, but its implementation is being phased in because capacity is limited. Nationwide examinations are scheduled to begin in mid-2027.
The new law is intended to address persistent personnel shortages in the German armed forces, which currently have about 186,400 active troops.
Against the backdrop of growing international crises and efforts to meet NATO targets, the Defense Ministry plans to increase the size of the force to more than 260,000 personnel by 2035. The target would require 20,000 recruits annually, a figure many analysts say would be difficult to achieve through voluntary recruitment alone.
If voluntary recruitment fails to meet the target, parliament would have to reconsider the law and could examine demand-based or mandatory conscription.
