German military to end conscription

Some 12,150 conscripts have started their military service as part of the last group that is obliged to serve six months in the German army.

Starting in July, the army will end conscription and trim down from 250,000 troops to a volunteer force of 185,000.

The reform is the most significant since the Bundeswehr was founded in 1955, after the country was completely disarmed following its defeat in the Second World War. As part of the reform, the army will be geared more toward meeting post-Cold War threats.