Questionnaire on the new military service of the Bundeswehr: Anyone who refuses to provide information must pay a fine of 250 euros

The new military service of the Bundeswehr was introduced at the turn of the year. From mid-January to April 24th, 194,000 men and women who had just turned 18 were contacted. They received a QR code that leads to an online questionnaire. Men have to fill it out, women can do it voluntarily. The Bundeswehr wants to determine motivation and suitability for service in the armed forces.

Report: 86 percent responded within four weeks

According to information from “Spiegel”, 86 percent of the men contacted have answered the questionnaire within the first period of four weeks after receiving it. Another five percent would have filled out the form after an initial reminder.

If the questionnaire is not completed two weeks after the second reminder, administrative offense proceedings may be initiated, which may result in the imposition of a fine. “According to the current in-house planning, a fine of 250 euros is planned,” said the ministry spokeswoman to the dpa.

Locations for 24 muster centers determined

The Ministry of Defense today also determined the locations for the 24 muster centers where young people will be examined for physical, psychological and intellectual suitability for the Bundeswehr from mid-2027.

Such centers are to be set up at 16 existing Bundeswehr locations outside of the armed forces’ properties: Bonn, Dresden, Hamburg, Kassel, Kiel, Koblenz, Leipzig, Magdeburg, Neubrandenburg, Nuremberg, Oldenburg, Potsdam, Saarlouis, Schwerin, Ulm and Wiesbaden.

In addition, eight additional sampling centers are to be built in Bielefeld, Braunschweig, Dortmund, Jena, Kempten, Offenburg, Regensburg and Würzburg. According to the ministry, the first center is expected to start operating this year.