Germany votes to bring in voluntary military service programme for 18-year-olds
Germany’s parliament, the Bundestag, has voted to introduce voluntary military service, in a move aimed at boosting national defences after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It marks a significant shift in Germany’s approach to its military and follows Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s push to create Europe’s strongest conventional army. The change means that all 18-year-olds in…