The number of young men applying to be conscientious objectors and refuse armed military service in Germany has risen sharply this year, undermining a drive by Berlin to create Europe’s strongest conventional army and deter the Russian threat.

More people had applied to exclude themselves from service on religious or moral grounds in the first half of 2026 than in the whole of last year, according to figures provided by the government on Tuesday.

Germany’s constitution guarantees the right of conscientious objection, stating: “No one shall be compelled against their conscience to perform military service involving the use of arms.”

The move to apply for objector status is pre-emptive, since Germany has no active draft. Instead, in an attempt to revamp the country’s depleted military, the government this year required all German men from the age of 18 to complete a form indicating their readiness to serve and undergo a medical examination.