Germany sees threefold rise in war service exemption applications in Q1 2026

In the first quarter of 2026, the number of applications for war service exemption in Germany rose to 3,493, a three‑fold increase over the 1,094 filed in the same period a year earlier. The applications include 64 from active soldiers, 236 from reservists and 3,193 from men who have never served in the Bundeswehr.

Cornelia Mannewitz, federal spokesperson for the German Peace Society – United War Service Objectors (DFG‑VK), warned that if the trend continues the total could exceed 15,000 for the year. More than 1,000 people visited DFG‑VK counseling centres in April alone, ranging from young men born in 2008 to older applicants. Although conscription is currently suspended, many fear possible mobilisation in a crisis. The organisation interprets the surge as a clear political rebuke of Defence Minister Boris Pistorius’s goal of expanding the Bundeswehr into Europe’s strongest conventional army.