Despite the personnel offensive, the number of recruits to the Bundeswehr in 2023 remained almost unchanged. However, the proportion of 17-year-olds has increased – despite the federal government’s efforts to the contrary.
The Bundeswehr hired around 18,800 new soldiers last year. The proportion of minors among recruits has increased again: 1,996 soldiers were only 17 years old at the time of their recruitment. This corresponds to a share of 10.6 percent after 9.4 percent in the previous year. This emerges from an overview by the Federal Ministry of Defense.
Armed service only for adults
The SPD, Greens and FDP had agreed in the coalition agreement that training and service with weapons should be reserved for adult soldiers. The Defense Ministry now said that 17-year-old applicants would only be hired “if they pass a comprehensive physical and psychological aptitude test.” The military training also takes into account extensive protection regulations for minors: “Specifically, this means: no participation in guard services or foreign missions, use of the weapon only for training purposes.”
A total of 15,935 men and 2,867 women took up service in the Bundeswehr last year, making a total of 18,802 recruits. That is slightly more than the year before: in 2022, the year of the Russian attack on Ukraine, the number of new recruits rose by around twelve percent to 18,775.
However, the pre-Corona level was not reached. In 2019, 20,170 soldiers started their service. The proportion of women has now fallen slightly to 15 percent, following an increase to 17 percent in the previous year. In 2019, the proportion of women was also 15 percent.
“Bundeswehr is aging and shrinking”
Basically, the Bundeswehr has a massive personnel problem. This is also discussed in the current military report. “The Bundeswehr is aging and shrinking,” said the Bundestag’s defense commissioner, Eva Högl. The attractiveness of the force urgently needs to be increased. According to the report, 181,514 soldiers were serving in the Bundeswehr at the end of last year, 1,537 fewer than the previous year. According to Högl, the number of applicants is declining, there are over 20,000 unfilled positions and a dropout rate of more than 20 percent.
The Bundeswehr launched a personnel offensive last year – apparently without success. In view of the declining number of applicants, the declared goal of increasing the Bundeswehr to 203,000 soldiers by 2031, even against the background of the new dangers posed by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, is becoming more distant.
Back to compulsory military service?
Recently, there has been repeated debate about a return to compulsory military service. It was suspended in Germany in July 2011 after 55 years under the then Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg (CSU), which in practice amounted to an abolition of military and community service.
In view of the shortage of personnel in the Bundeswehr, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is currently having models of compulsory service examined. These include the model practiced in Sweden, where all young women and men are screened and a selected portion receive offers of service.