Germany has ended its military draft, turning instead to a voluntary force years after its major allies had taken the same step.

Germany started conscripting members of its armed forces in 1957 when West Germany rearmed after World War II, but the country ended its draft at midnight Thursday. By contrast, the United States ended its draft in 1973.

Now, Germany is trimming the size of its Bundeswehr, as the armed forces are called, by a quarter, to a maximum of 185,000 in uniform. The voluntary force will be open to men and women willing to serve between 12 and 23 months.

Some view Germany's volunteer force as an antidote to its Nazi past, ensuring that it is subservient to the will of the country's democratic parliament. Postwar Germany has had a deep aversion to militarism, a sentiment reflected in its mixed decisions about the involvement of its troops overseas.

About 5,000 German soldiers are part of the NATO-led campaign in Afghanistan. Yet Berlin abstained in the United Nations Security Council vote in March authorizing the NATO air campaign in Libya. Then, more recently, Germany indicated a willingness to supply some munitions for the NATO effort.