Offensive recruitment in the Bundeswehr – does the troop have a shortage of young people?

politics

Large posters hang in train stations, streetcars are completely covered with stickers, they are represented at school career days, on the radio, in the cinema, on the Internet: they do it everywhere armed forces Advertising. Looking for young people who want to make their career in the army. Or study at the Bundeswehr University.

With the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the relationship between the Germans and their army changed. After 2011 when conscription was suspended, it seemed as if the troops were being pushed further and further out of the public eye. Nobody has to complete basic training anymore.

Handling sharp weapons is also part of the basic training.Image: Getty Images Europe / Sean Gallup

When right-wing extremist structures were uncovered among the comrades in 2020, the debate flared up: Shouldn’t a large part of society do military service after all? A debate that had gained momentum again with the change in era proclaimed by Olaf Scholz (SPD). So far, however, the respective defense ministers have rejected the reintroduction of conscription.

In the spring of 2022, when asked by watson, the Department of Defense stated:

Job aptitude test Bundeswehr: tank mechanic and orchestra musician

Apparently that is not the case yet. And the troops have to go looking for personnel themselves. And uses a variety of options to do so. For example, there is a job aptitude test on the Karrierekaserne website.

In addition to professions in the private sector, there is also the option of exclusively displaying career opportunities within the troop. And with professions from tank mechanic to the barracks kitchen to the army orchestra.

When asked by watson, the Bundeswehr said the suspension of compulsory military service and demographic change made new demands on personnel recruitment. A spokeswoman for the Bundeswehr in Cologne put the problem more precisely as follows: “Declining numbers of students and graduates, a growing need for STEM skills or the declining physical fitness of young people are examples.”

You can also have a career in the Bundeswehr in an orchestra.Image: Getty Images Europe / Carsten Koall

The result of this development: an enormous shortage of skilled workers. In the free economy, as well as in the army. The Bundeswehr competes with other employers. The aim of the large presence: “to position the Bundeswehr as an attractive employer for young people and to arouse interest in the Bundeswehr as an employer.” The Bundeswehr follows a cross-media approach.

The narrator explains it like this:

Representatives of the troops not only provide information about the possibilities on YouTube, but also at trade fairs, online events or in consulting offices. The spokeswoman says: “We are presenting the wide range of career, training and career opportunities in the civil and military sectors to a wide audience of potential applicants.” With its broad base, the Bundeswehr is one of the largest employers in Germany.

But also a special employer. One who should defend the country in case of doubt. And one that trains a large part of its employees in handling weapons, tanks and howitzers. For this reason, there are parties – often from the left spectrum – again and again Criticism of offensive advertising for military service.

Training in the Bundeswehr is advertised very offensively.Image: Getty Images Europe / Sean Gallup

The number of applicants is declining – recruitment remains stable

According to current surveys among the GenZ, the armed forces nevertheless one of the most popular employers. According to the Trendence youth barometer for 2021, the police and armed forces are in first and second place in terms of popularity. Despite everything, the spokeswoman clarifies, the number of applicants is declining.

The spokeswoman says it remains to be seen whether and how the staff shortage will develop in view of the war in Ukraine. Although there is now an increased interest in the troops, no positive or negative effects on the applications can be derived from this so far.

The Ministry of Defense declared in spring 2022 that there was no shortage of young people in the German army. “An average of around 35,000 people are in training, they gradually fill vacancies,” added the spokeswoman for the ministry. The spokeswoman for the Bundeswehr assesses the situation in a similar way: On average, she explains, 44,000 people apply for military service every year.

Last fall, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) visited the Bundeswehr.Image: Getty Images Europe / David Hecker

Three quarters of them as temporary soldiers and one quarter for voluntary military service including homeland security. On average, the applicants are 23 years old. After the application process, the Bundeswehr has hired around 19,000 soldiers in each of the past few years. In addition to the successful completion of the application process, the prerequisite for this is the specific needs of the armed forces.

More women are currently applying for the Bundeswehr

What is new, says the spokeswoman, is that the proportion of women is currently higher than before. The proportion of women among temporary soldiers is now 13 percent, and 17 percent in voluntary military service and homeland security. “There is still a high proportion of women in the area of ​​officer candidates of around 28 percent,” says the spokeswoman.

It remains to be seen how the Bundeswehr will continue. So far, it doesn’t look like conscription is coming back. With a view to the number of applicants that the Bundeswehr mentions, this is probably not necessary. At least as long as Germany is not threatened so concretely that it needs armed forces that can be mobilized quickly.