German army facing shortage of new recruits: Defense Ministry

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
2 Aug 2023 22:28

The German Defense Minister admits that the challenge is serious.

A mountain infantry soldier during a practice exercise near Bavarian village Bad Reichenhall, southern Germany (AFP)

The German Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that its military is facing significant challenges in its efforts to recruit new members.

During a visit to an armed forces career center in Stuttgart, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius admitted that the challenge was serious.

"Everyone is talking about a shortage of personnel in the Bundeswehr -- and no one knows this better than I," he told reporters.

"We have seven percent fewer applicants this year compared to the same period last year," he added, noting that the dropout rate during training in the army is at 30 percent.

The matter was brought to attention back in March when the representative of the German army in the parliament said the military had "too little of everything" and its barracks were in poor conditions.

Military commissioner Eva Hoegl said some of the army's living quarters neither had Wi-Fi nor working toilets.

A year ago, Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised that the government would boost spending for the army by adding an additional 100-billion-euro ($110 billion) fund to the military budget.

However, Hoegl said none of this was spent in 2022 due to the procurement system being too "sluggish".

With regards to recruitment, Pistorius raised to attention that the younger generation is faced with greater concerns regarding work-life balance.

Another worrying factor is that the German population is getting older, leading to shortages of skilled workers across many industries. However, military recruitment remains the most difficult, he said.

"By 2050, we will have 12 percent fewer people in the 15-24 age group," he said.

The German government has set its target to increase the number of troops to 203,000 by 2031 from around 180,000 currently, but that figure is currently under review, the German Defense Minister noted.