The proportion of minor conscripts in Germany increases to 10%
The German Ministry of Defense stated that the German Armed Forces recruited about 18,800 new soldiers last year, in response to an inquiry that the percentage of minors among recruits increased again, as 1,996 soldiers were only 17 years old at the time of their recruitment, which is equivalent to 10.6% of the strength of new recruits, after their percentage had reached 9.4% in 2022.
The Social Democratic Party, the Green Party, and the Free Democratic Party had agreed in the ruling coalition agreement that training and service with weapons should be limited to adult soldiers.
The Ministry of Defense has now stated that 17-year-old applicants are only appointed if they pass a comprehensive test of physical and psychological abilities.
According to German Ministry of Defense data, military training also takes into account broad protection rules for minors, “This specifically means: not participating in guard services or external missions, and the use of weapons is limited to training purposes”.
According to the data, a total of 15,935 men and 2,867 women served in the German army last year, bringing the total number of new recruits to 18,802 conscripts.
This is slightly more than the year 2022, the year the Russian-Ukrainian wars began, and in which the number of new recruits increased by about 12%, reaching 18,775 recruits.
However, the level before the Covid-19 pandemic hasn’t yet been reached, as 20,170 soldiers began service in 2019.
The proportion of women among the total conscripts has now decreased slightly to 15%, after they constituted 17% in 2022, as their proportion reached 15% in 2019.
