Germany: Army suffers from a shortage of 20,000 soldiers
A German official has called for more efforts to increase the number of recruits in the German army in light of the tense security situation following Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Eva Högl, the German Bundestag’s defense commissioner, pointed out that there is a shortage of about 20,000 soldiers in the targeted army, which is supposed to be 203,000 soldiers.
The Social Democratic Party politician said in press statements that the actual readiness in many army units is only about 50%, and that this percentage is clearly low.
In her annual report last spring, Eva Högl complained that the German forces were shrinking and getting older.
She said the strength of the army was the important issue for 2025, calling for a new approach to implementing compulsory service that would target broader categories of young men and women.
Since Germany abolished conscription in 2011 and encouraged voluntary service instead, the number of army personnel has declined significantly, amidst significant political and human rights opposition to conscription for reasons related to freedom of choice, in addition to the huge shortage of personnel in the German labor market, which will be further affected if conscription is reintroduced.
Germany is witnessing a debate about the possibility of filling the shortage in the army’s numbers by replacing it with foreigners, as the law currently allows foreigners inside and outside Germany to join the voluntary service, and the Ministry of Defense has announced programs to encourage them to come.
Before Russia’s war on Ukraine, Berlin didn’t attach much importance to the defense budget, but the war changed that policy, as Germany this year allocated 2% of its budget to defense, which is something that has happened for the first time since 1992, thus responding to NATO’s demand that each country’s domestic military spending reach at least this figure.
