Germany suspended compulsory military service on 1 July 2011, by the Military Law Amendment Act 2011. It did not abolish it. Compulsory service remained in the law for a state of tension or a state of defense. A new military service law took effect on 1 January 2026. Young men, starting with those born in 2008, must again undergo a medical examination. If needed, the Bundestag can reinstate compulsory service by law.