Nearly 6,000 Young Germans Apply for Conscientious Objector Status in 2026

In the first half of 2026, almost 6,000 young German men applied for conscientious objector status on moral or religious grounds — more than in the whole of 2025. The surge undermines Berlin's ambition to build Europe's strongest conventional army amid the Russian threat. Germany introduced a so-called "conscription lite" policy to bolster troop numbers.