Skip next section More than a quarter of young men haven't answered mandatory military survey May 7, 2026 More than a quarter of young men haven't answered mandatory military survey As part of Germany's long-simmering debate about how to boost flagging recruitment numbers for the military, the Bundeswehr, the government sent out surveys to young people across the country in January. The questionnaire was meant to ascertain willingness to join the military or the reserves in the case that Germany should find itself drawn into a conflict. For young men, answering the survey was mandatory. However, according to media group RND, some 28% of them have not filled it out. About half of the 72% who did respond expressed a degree of willingness to be drafted. Germany is trying to raise the number of active soldiers to 270,000 from 255,000 by 2035. Prior to 2011, Germany had conscription for all young men for at least a year, though they were allowed to opt out and do one year of voluntary service instead.…