The Bundeswehr needs 100,000 more soldiers to meet new NATO goals for increasing its defense capabilities, Reuters reports, citing confidential documents in its possession.
“It is of utmost importance that the army is sufficiently prepared for war by 2029 and provides the capabilities that Germany has promised NATO by 2035“, wrote Bundeswehr Lieutenant General and Inspector of the Land Forces Alfons Mais in a letter to the Inspector General of the German Armed Forces, Carsten Breuer. He noted that achieving these goals is impossible with the current approved personnel strength of 183,000, which includes 37,000 soldiers in reserve.
Meiss also called for an increase in the size of the German armed forces by around 45,000 by 2029. In addition, to achieve NATO goals agreed at the June summit, Meiss predicted that Germany would need an additional 45,000 active-duty troops by 2035.
A German Defense Ministry spokesman declined to comment on the document, citing its confidential nature. He said NATO had adjusted its goals since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "According to the first rough estimate, a total of around 460,000 soldiers from Germany will be needed, including around 260,000 active military personnel and around 200,000 reservists," he said.
On August 27, the German government adopted a bill by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius for a new model of military service. It suggests introducing voluntary service in Germany on the Swedish model. In the Scandinavian country, all school leavers are subject to military examination, but only some of them end up serving in active service. The document also contains "elements that will be implemented." These include the return of the medical examination of conscripts and the mandatory filling out of an application by men aged 18 to 25 with a clause stating their readiness for service. The bill does not rule out a return to universal military service.
Compulsory military service in Germany was abolished in July 2011, after which a transition to a professional army took place. Today, the Bundeswehr has about 183,000 people. German authorities believe that in order to ensure the full defense of the country and fulfill NATO tasks, the army lacks more than 80,000 professional and contract soldiers and about 140,000 reservists.