The armed forces 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 that the Federal Ministry of Defense provided upon request.
The SPD, Greens and FDP had agreed in the federal 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.” Minor applicants require parental consent and have a six-month probationary period.
Recruitment practices have been criticized
The number of 17-year-old recruits has fluctuated for years. There was a provisional high in 2017 with 2,126 underage new soldiers. Since then the number has fallen and is now rising again.
The practice of hiring minors has been criticized for a long time. For example, the Bundestag’s defense commissioner, Eva Högl (SPD), had already pointed out in 2022 that the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child sets a minimum age of 18 for service in the armed forces. “It is therefore very critical to see that the Bundeswehr continues to employ minors,” she said at the time New Osnabrücker Zeitung.
The Bundeswehr is having difficulty finding enough young people. Federal Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) recently called on schools to develop a “relaxed relationship with the Bundeswehr”. “I think it is important that youth officers come to schools and report on what the Bundeswehr is doing for our security,” she said. The move caused irritation among opposition and traffic light politicians.
The armed forces 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 that the Federal Ministry of Defense provided upon request.
The SPD, Greens and FDP had agreed in the federal 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.” Minor applicants require parental consent and have a six-month probationary period.