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The German Armed Forces need to become more effective. Everyone agrees on that. This requires more money, more personnel – and more and better equipment. There should also be consensus on this in the political discourse. But where to get it, if not by stealing? Since reunification, the German Armed Forces have been systematically cut back; some experts say they have been cut back to death. Federal budget funds were needed elsewhere, and the security situation in Europe had largely eased thanks to glasnost and perestroika.
In addition, the already limited resources of the German Armed Forces were being channelled into various foreign missions. Not only was our freedom defended in the Hindu Kush for 20 years, but the Bundeswehr was also involved in Iraq, Bosnia, Mali, Libya, Sudan, Congo, Rwanda, Turkey and the Horn of Africa, to name but a few examples. Most recently, the frigate Hessen escorted merchant ships through the Red Sea and shot down drones belonging to the Houthi militias from the Arabian sky.
The war in Ukraine has significantly exacerbated the security situation in Europe. Germany is the central military hub for NATO; in the event of a deployment by our allies, all routes lead through Germany. The threat scenario: according to internal Bundeswehr investigations, Russia is expected to have armed itself to such an extent within the next five years that it could effectively attack NATO.
In response to this changed security situation in Europe, NATO's military capabilities are now to be massively upgraded. Europeans want to and must make an appropriate contribution in future, not least so that they can deal with a possible President Donald Trump on an equal footing.
For example, the German government has agreed to station a combat-ready and independently operational combat unit in Lithuania. The brigade is expected to be operational by 2027. A permanent presence of around 4,800 soldiers is planned. Parliament has made a considerable sum available for this purpose in the form of a „special fund“ – i.e. new debt.
More money
While we're on the subject of money, in addition to the current budget of the Ministry of Defence, Minister Boris Pistorius has estimated a whopping 6.5 billion euros for 2025 in order to meet the new requirements of the German Armed Forces. This is understandable, but Finance Minister Christian Lindner will have to put a damper on his plans due to the gaping hole in the budget. The Bundestag will probably only approve an additional 1.2 billion euros.
More staff
Let's start with an overview of the current situation. The figures are rounded because they vary slightly due to monthly additions and departures. Currently, around 180,000 soldiers are serving in the armed forces. Of these, 55,000 are professional soldiers, 115,000 are temporary soldiers and 10,000 are volunteers. In addition, there are 80,000 civilian employees, mainly as clerks in the armed forces administration or in military technology. Women make up 13% of the armed forces; 39% of civilian employees are women.
Is voluntary service enough to alleviate the personnel shortage in the German Armed Forces? No, says Carsten Breuer, four-star general of the Army and, as Inspector General of the German Armed Forces, Germany's highest-ranking soldier. A new model of military service must also include compulsory elements – and focus on equality.
„The Bundeswehr needs personnel for all these tasks. Overall, we need more than 400,000 temporary and professional soldiers as well as reservists. To meet this demand, we need approximately 100,000 additional reservists. We can initially cover this demand with the new model. However, it will not be possible to do so entirely without compulsory service.“ This is how Carsten Breuer recently summed it up.
But where will the additional personnel come from? Will there soon be a new conscription not only for men, but also for women? The Inspector General's plans apparently envisage this. Breuer told the newspapers of the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland that he wanted to include women in the event of the reinstatement of conscription, which was suspended in 2011.
Defence Minister Boris Pistorius presented plans for a new military service model in June. The new model will consist of six months of basic military service with an option for additional voluntary military service of up to 17 months. In addition, a mandatory registration system will be introduced, in which young men will have to declare their willingness and ability to perform military service. Young women could also do this, but on a voluntary basis. At least that's a little bit of equality.
Breuer continues: „We currently have a suspended compulsory military service, which, according to the Basic Law, applies only to the male population. Equality should be established here, but to do so, we first need a corresponding political and social discussion.“
However, there are no plans to establish new district recruitment offices, which examined more than 20 million men of military age between 1957 and 2010. These were dissolved on 30 November 2012, bringing an end to the era of systematic „meat inspection“, as the examination was formerly known in popular parlance.
More and better equipment
To support Ukraine, a large amount of military equipment from the German Armed Forces has been transported out of the country: tanks, howitzers, Patriot systems, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, jammers, ammunition and much more have been shipped to the east. A current list is linked at the end of this article. Not only does all of this need to be replaced, but additional upgrades are also planned. There are currently many rumours circulating in the media about the Bundeswehr's latest orders. There is talk of new tanks, drones and even its own satellites.
Specifically, a total of 105 new Leopard 2 tanks of the latest version are to be ordered. Some of these will equip the future brigade in Lithuania, while others will close the equipment gap that has existed in the German Armed Forces for years, said Defence Minister Pistorius.
Europe's largest aerospace group, Airbus, has received a major order for a satellite system from the German Armed Forces. The order is worth €2.1 billion and includes not only the satellites but also the associated ground stations.
Further sources:
Our 92-page magazine fact entitled: „The German Armed Forces between aspiration and reality“ (from 2020): https://erasmus-stiftung.de/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Faktum2web.pdf
https://www.bundeswehr.de/de/ueber-die-bundeswehr/zahlen-daten-fakten/personalzahlen-bundeswehr
https://www.tagesschau.de/wirtschaft/unternehmen/bundeswehr-airbus-satellitensystem-100.html
