The German army has sent out more than 40,000 draft questionnaires to 18-year-olds under the country's new military service law. This was stated by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, quoted by DPA.
"Yes, it works and we have already received many questionnaires back", Pistorius said during a visit to a training center for Bundeswehr officers in Roth, south of Nuremberg.
The questionnaires are a first step to assess their suitability and motivation for military service.
Although it is not yet possible to draw conclusions from the answers, Pistorius said the policy "is moving forward".
The minister remains confident that he will be able to recruit 20,000 new volunteers for military service by the end of the year.
"I am convinced that we will succeed," he said, praising the recruitment efforts last year. In 2025, we recruited more than 25,000 new soldiers. This is a 23% increase on the previous year and the best result in 12 years, a real reversal of the trend."
After months of discussions, Chancellor Friedrich Merz's administration passed a law late last year to restore military service - initially on a voluntary basis - in an attempt to increase troop numbers.
The new military service law, which came into force on January 1, is a response to the threat posed by Russia, with Germany falling behind in its NATO recruitment goals.
The program is designed to help increase troop numbers from 180,000 to 260,000, with additional reserve forces to reach 200,000.