Berlin.
The Bundeswehr is urgently looking for soldiers, but there are no applicants. There are many problems: for example, recruits are reluctant to get up early.
Actually it’s not funny. Nevertheless, laughter rings out as the Inspector General the Bundeswehr describes the problem: “Why do I have to get up so early?” is a question asked by the recruits when they come to the troops. “Yes, we laugh,” says Eberhard Zorn At a lecture in Kiel at the beginning of February. But the early start of service is one reason why recruits break off their training with the Bundeswehr. But the army cannot afford that: the Bundeswehr has a shortage of personnel.
Zorn no longer has to solve the problem, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) replaced him with Carsten Breuer a week ago. The new top soldier of the armed forces In view of the threat posed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, sees itself facing major challenges: “In the Bundeswehr, many officers and non-commissioned officers were used to dismantling the troops, downsizing structures or even dissolving some of them,” Breuer told Der Spiegel. “This is a generation of downsizing. They have to rethink now.”
After years of downsizing, the troupe is set to grow significantly
Die federal government Due to the tense world situation, is willing to invest significantly more money in equipping the Bundeswehr than in previous years in order to make up for past omissions. However, the personnel problem cannot be solved with money alone. The troupe should refocus on the alliance and national defence : This includes constant operational readiness and a larger presence of the Bundeswehr on NATO’s eastern flank in countries like Lithuania. It takes a lot of soldiers to do that.
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At the time of reunification, around half a million soldiers were serving in the Bundeswehr. After the end of the East-West conflict, a two-and-a-half-decade-long downsizing began, and conscription was also suspended in 2011. As the Secretary of Defense at the time Ursula von der Leyen (CDU) announced a trend reversal in personnel in 2016, the force only had 166,000 soldiers. It is planned that the Bundeswehr will again have 203,000 soldiers in 2031. The armed forces are a long way from the target.
Many recruits don’t make it through the first six months
The military commissioner Eva Högl (SPD) recently described how serious the situation on the personnel front is at the presentation of her annual report. At the end of 2022, 183,051 soldiers were serving in the Bundeswehr. That’s even a few hundred fewer than a year ago. From the military post above the career path of the teams, almost 19,000 are vacant – that corresponds to almost 16 percent.
The number of applications for a military career fell 11 percent last year to around 44,000. The Bundeswehr managed to increase recruitment by twelve percent and welcomed almost 18,800 new comrades. But: within the first six months, 3,970 of them gave their uniforms back to the clothing store; 3510 at own request, 460 because of unsuitability. A fifth of the newcomers did not survive the first six months and left the troupe.
Generation Z and the Bundeswehr – that doesn’t fit
After taking office mourned Pistorius after conscription: “It was a mistake to suspend conscription,” said the minister. “But it’s not easy to take that back now. Now we have to make the Bundeswehr so attractive that good young people are interested in it and apply.” But the competition on the job market is fierce, and there is a shortage of skilled workers everywhere.
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Like many companies, the Bundeswehr is struggling with the “impact of demographic and social change”, as a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Defense reports. These included declining numbers of school and university graduates and a growing need for skills in the fields of mathematics, computer science, natural Science and technology. In addition, there are “not least the expectations of the so-called ‘Generation Z’, who want a high degree of flexible and individual creative freedom in professional life”.
In the coming years, tens of thousands of soldiers retire
But the life of a soldier often means: barracks, working far away from the family and several months abroad. And getting up early, but more on that at the end.
A further aggravating factor is that numerous members of the Bundeswehr will have to leave the military in the coming years for reasons of age Troops leave. According to a forecast by the Ministry of Defense, around 64,000 professional and temporary soldiers will retire between 2023 and 2027.
CSU politician: Bundeswehr not attractive for applicants
“It is questionable whether the target figure of 203,000 soldiers, taking into account the demographic development in Deutschland can be achieved and in this respect should also be pursued,” says the defense policy spokesman for the Union faction, Florian Hahn. The CSU politician sees the biggest problem in recruiting the right staff. “The Bundeswehr must be attractive to applicants for this,” says Hahn. “It’s not given the current bad headlines.”
If you leaf through the new military report, you will find a long list of deficiencies. The soldiers lack personal equipment, the troops lack large and small equipment. The personal burden is high and is likely to increase in view of the tense security situation. In some barracks there is mold on the walls, but no internet in the rooms.
Investments should not make the troops more attractive
“The Bundeswehr must be equipped so well that it is the most interesting for our applicants in competition with other organizations,” demands Hahn. That’s not easy. “But if we manage to invest the special fund successfully and sensibly, then that would be the best advertising for our Bundeswehr.” The Ministry of Defense hopes for the same.
The Bundeswehr also relies “on the constant optimization the personal advertising approach,” explains the ministry spokeswoman. When asked about the advertising videos of the Bundeswehr, the military commissioner Högl warned that everyday life in the Bundeswehr should be portrayed “realistically”. Young people shouldn’t be attracted by a “beautiful show event”, “and then the reality is quite brutal, different from the little films”. Recruitment must make it clear: “Soldier is not a job like any other.”
Pilot project: Paratrooper recruits are allowed to get up later
Ah yes, getting up early. The Bundeswehr has it Pilot Zero-800 started: From April, the recruits of the 26th Parachute Regiment in Merzig in Saarland are allowed to sleep an hour longer and only start their shift at 8 a.m. Only when they have gotten used to everyday life in the Bundeswehr do they have to get up earlier. The responsible company sergeant explains the idea behind it: “If I look forward to a Marathon I don’t want to start with a half marathon on the first day.” One thing is clear: when looking for suitable soldiers, the troops need staying power.
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