The russian threat is prompting Berlin to increase the number of reservists and professional soldiers in the army. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has promised to turn Germany into the most powerful military state in Europe.
But to do this, the Bundeswehr needs to increase the size of its armed forces, which have so far only been reduced. Berlin has prepared a plan that should convince 18-year-old citizens to sign up for the army.
The unattractiveness of military service in Germany, but also in other countries, is largely explained by the fact that young people view it as one of the types of work. At the same time, with not very competitive earnings, limited skills and uncertain prospects.
As part of the plan, which will be submitted to the government for consideration at the end of August, the German authorities intend to offer attractive salaries, flexibility in serving and acquiring new knowledge, the Financial Times reports, citing government officials.
The Ministry of Defense hopes to fill 15,000 places this year under the existing voluntary program, but then the number will have to be increased. The new scheme should help increase the number of young men and women entering the service by 3,000-5,000 annually. The goal is to reach 40,000 people each year by 2031.
The Bundeswehr wants to increase the size of the professional army from the current 182,000 to 260,000 by 2035. It is also necessary to increase the number of reservists who can be called up in case of military action from 60,000 to 200,000. The main task is precisely related to replenishing the reserves by automatically including volunteers in them after the end of their service.
The war in Ukraine, unleashed by vladimir putin, has sparked a debate in Germany about whether to return to mandatory conscription, which was abolished in 2011. As a result, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has chosen a voluntary recruitment scheme based on the Swedish one, which many military experts consider exemplary.
If the bill is approved, from 2026, approximately 300,000 young people aged 18 will have to fill out a questionnaire to assess their suitability, readiness and desire to serve in the armed forces. Girls can do this voluntarily. But, unlike Sweden, where the authorities choose which young people to draft into the army based on the results of the questionnaire, in Germany it is proposed to take only those who themselves want to undergo military service.
According to people familiar with the plan, volunteers want to be offered a monthly salary of about 2,000 euros after taxes, the opportunity to acquire new skills and qualifications, a subsidy for obtaining a driver's license, and language courses.
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