Germany's cabinet has passed a draft bill which will introduce voluntary military service. The bill could also lead to conscription if more troops are needed. It's part of a move to boost German national defences, following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The government is redoubling its efforts to attract more recruits, which the military struggled to do in recent years. Germany had some 181,000 active servicepeople at the end of last year. But the government says it needs to increase that in the long term to 260,000, plus some 200,000 reservists.

Germany's cabinet passed a draft bill on Wednesday that would introduce a voluntary military service as the country seeks to bolster national defences over Russian security concerns. The text also opened the door to a reintroduction of compulsory enlistment.