German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has called on the existing members of the armed forces to show their support for efforts to increase the size of the Bundeswehr, reported dpa. "It is a central building block for the future viability of our Bundeswehr and for the security of our country," Pistorius wrote in an Order of the Day made available to dpa in Berlin on Friday. The order was issued jointly with Inspector General Carsten Breuer, Germany's top military commander. A new law governing military service in Germany came into force on January 1. The standing force of more than 180,000 men and women is to grow by 80,000 to 260,000 active soldiers. In addition, there are to be 200,000 men and women in the reserve. The measure is Germany's response to the threat posed by Russia and the resulting change in NATO's objectives. The new military service law will also see the reintroduction of military registration. As a first step, all men and women who reach the age of majority on or after January 1 will receive a questionnaire to assess their suitability and motivation for the Bundeswehr. Men will be obliged to fill it in. There had been a struggle within the coalition government between the conservative CDU/CSU and the centre-left SPD over whether the new service model should focus primarily on additional incentives and voluntary participation. The dispute was settled with a compromise. Every six months, the Ministry of Defence is to report on whether the plans are still on target, and the Bundestag can then decide on compulsory military service based on need.