Henning Otte, parliament’s special commissioner for the Bundeswehr, urged a rapid and large-scale recruitment push in his annual report published Tuesday, saying that expanding personnel is the central task if Germany’s military is to strengthen its capabilities.
Germany has increased defense spending and intensified recruitment efforts in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and pressure from the United States for Europe to contribute more within NATO. To reach the government’s goal of 260,000 active soldiers and 200,000 reservists by the mid-2030s, Otte said plans to reintroduce some form of national service must work. If voluntary enlistment falls short, he recommended returning to a form of compulsory service.
Otte also called for administrative reform, warning that the current structures of the Bundeswehr and the Defense Ministry are “too top-heavy, too complicated, and in large part ineffective.” His role is to monitor and advocate for the military in parliament.
Current troop levels remain far below the roughly half-million target for the coming decade. Bundeswehr figures show about 186,000 active personnel on permanent or limited contracts or in voluntary service, plus around 60,000 reservists on call. Technically, Germany counts roughly 860,000 military veterans as potential reservists in an emergency.
There was some recruitment progress: the Bundeswehr hired 25,000 personnel in 2025, the highest annual intake since national service was suspended in 2011. Still, dropout rates before recruits complete training remain high at about 20%, Otte said. He warned the public expects the military to meet expanding missions and that doing so requires reliable conditions and, above all, more staff.
On national service, Otte urged the government to present clearer plans and concrete conditions for any reintroduction. The proposal has split the governing coalition and reversed course multiple times during planning. Young people currently receive a questionnaire assessing their availability and interest to encourage voluntary enlistment. The Christian Democrats briefly proposed adding a compulsory element, but the Social Democrats objected, leaving the original voluntary approach intact. Under current law, temporary conscription of many young men is possible because the previous national service was frozen rather than abolished; extending mandatory service to women would require a constitutional change.
Otte highlighted shortfalls beyond personnel: many barracks need renovation, and recruitment centers and training capacities must expand to support higher intake. He stressed faster progress on digitization—such as modernizing soldiers’ medical records—to reduce frustration among troops. Recruitment speed is also a problem: the average time from application to hiring was 112 days in the most recent period, two weeks longer than in 2024, which Otte said is too slow in a competitive labor market.
He reported concerns within the ranks about falling physical standards amid the recruitment push, warning that “quantity over quality” is beginning to take hold. Equipment and gear shortages persist, he added, noting there is no longer a financial excuse given that defense spending has been exempted from the government’s debt brake.
Finally, Otte warned of a rise in attacks on military facilities in 2025: there were 112 crimes targeting the armed forces, including six arson attacks and 10 cases of sabotage. The report underscores that boosting recruitment must be paired with reforms to infrastructure, training, administration and supply if the Bundeswehr is to meet future demands.
Edited by: Elizabeth Schumacher
