00:02The number of conscientious objector applications is rising in Germany, as debate over military service and security keeps intensifying.
00:11Germany recorded above 2,500 conscientious objector applications in the first quarter of 2026.
00:18It is more than two-thirds of the total registered across the whole of 2025, according to authorities.
00:25New military service legislation has entered into force at the beginning of the year.
00:31The reform requires young men born in 2008 or later to register for potential conscription,
00:38with the Bundestag able to activate compulsory service if voluntary recruitment falls short.
00:45Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has framed the reform as a response to a deteriorating security environment.
00:52The debate on whether men of fighting age should be required to seek authorization before traveling abroad for extended periods
01:00has ruled public unease.
01:02Meanwhile, almost 800 people who had previously declared conscientious objector status changed their mind last year.
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