Germany's cabinet has passed a draft bill which will introduce voluntary military service. The bill could also lead to conscription if more troops are needed.

It's part of a move to boost German national defences, following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Compulsory military service in Germany was ended in 2011 under then-Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz has made boosting Germany's military a priority given the threat from Russia and said 'we are now back on the path to a military service army'.

He summed up his thinking earlier this year saying: 'We want to be able to defend ourselves so that we don't have to defend ourselves.'

Germany's plans also follow calls by US President Donald Trump for Europe to take more responsibility for its own defence.

When his coalition government came to office earlier this year, it loosened borrowing restrictions to enable a surge in defence spending and then announced plans for 3.5% of economic output to go on defence over the next four years.

Defence Minister Boris Pistorius wants to increase the number of soldiers in service from 182,000 to 260,000 by the early 2030s to meet new NATO force targets and strengthen Germany's defences.

The defence ministry also wants to increase the number of reservists to 200,000.

In future, all 18-year-old Germans, both men and women, will be sent an online questionnaire asking if they are willing to volunteer for military service, starting this initiative. Men will be required to complete the form while it will be voluntary for women.

Quentin Gärtner, an 18-year-old head of the country's Federal Pupils' Conference, expressed support for contributing to the defence of democracy but emphasized the importance of including young people's voices in discussions on these matters.

He noted: 'We can only do our part and take responsibility for our society when we are included in every decision-making process affecting our generation.'

The government assures that military service will remain voluntary for the foreseeable future, although they reserve the right to consider conscription if the number of volunteers remains low or security situations deteriorate.

In the first half of this year, the Bundeswehr has reported a 28% increase in new recruits compared to the same period last year, highlighting the defense ministry's efforts to boost recruitment.