Germany’s Defence Ministry has identified 24 locations for new centres that will assess candidates for military service, as part of efforts to expand the size of the Bundeswehr under a new military service law. The first of these centres is expected to open later this year.
The planned network includes facilities both within and outside existing military infrastructure. Two centres are set to be located in the cities of Kassel and Wiesbaden.
Starting from mid-2027, young people will undergo assessments at these centres to determine their physical, mental and intellectual suitability for service in the Bundeswehr.
A total of 16 centres will be established at existing military sites. In addition to Kassel and Wiesbaden, these locations include Bonn, Dresden, Hamburg, Kiel, Koblenz, Leipzig, Magdeburg, Neubrandenburg, Nuremberg, Oldenburg, Potsdam, Saarlouis, Schwerin and Ulm.
An additional eight conscription assessment centres will be created outside military premises in Bielefeld, Braunschweig, Dortmund, Jena, Kempten, Offenburg, Regensburg and Würzburg.
The initiative comes as Germany moves to strengthen its armed forces in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine and evolving NATO capability targets. As part of these efforts, Berlin reintroduced a voluntary military service programme last year to boost recruitment.
Since the beginning of this year, all male 18-year-olds in Germany have been required to complete a questionnaire assessing their willingness to serve, marking a further step toward expanding the country’s military capacity.
By Tamilla Hasanova
