Germany is struggling to recruit enough soldiers for its planned rearmament in the face of growing Russian threats, a challenge complicated by a tight labour market and an aging population, according to a Bloomberg report.
While Berlin has significant funds to boost its military after decades of neglect, and many European countries face their own manpower shortages, the problem is particularly acute in Germany. The country needs to increase its regular army to 260,000 soldiers from about 180,000 currently, and add hundreds of thousands of reservists.
The new government under Chancellor Friedrich Merz is also working to overhaul Germany’s infrastructure, which will add further pressure on the workforce.
According to Bloomberg, Berlin is taking steps to reintroduce a form of conscription, and analysts have raised the possibility of enlisting immigrants into the armed forces.
Merz told German companies last month that recruitment, not funding, would be the “decisive problem” to overcome in his quest to build the continent’s strongest conventional army. He called on them to temporarily release workers to acquire military skills.
CONSCRIPTION DEBATE
These plans have reignited a debate over whether to reinstate conscription, which was suspended in 2011. About 55% of Germans support the idea. While the coalition government plans a voluntary model inspired by Sweden, Merz and Defence Minister Boris Pistorius have left the door open to mandatory conscription if progress is too slow.
Merz’s government is expected to pass legislation in the last week of August to allow for voluntary military service by January. Pistorius aims to attract more than 110,000 recruits by the end of the decade.
Behind the scenes, conservative lawmakers are reportedly pushing for a mandatory mechanism to reintroduce compulsory military service if the voluntary model fails to attract enough people. However, there are serious doubts that this approach could negatively affect an economy that has shrunk over the past two years and is in dire need of skilled labour.
SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CHALLENGES
Pistorius has acknowledged that Germany’s aging population is a problem for the military, stating recently that he will need to replace a “wave” of retirees in addition to finding new personnel. He insists that any conscription model would only be used to increase the army’s reserves, while full-time staff would have to be found through other means.
In 2024, the number of soldiers fell to below 180,000, the lowest level since 2018, despite long-standing efforts to reach over 200,000.
Researchers at the Ifo Institute in Munich have warned against conscription, arguing that it takes people out of the labour market, delays their education, and ultimately reduces their income, which would have “serious consequences for the economy as a whole.”
Pano Bhurtel, a co-author of a 2024 study by the institute, said that for the voluntary model to succeed, “the most important thing is to improve wages.”
‘INNOVATIVE IDEAS’
The army believes that “creative social media campaigns” and regional recruitment events have proven successful, although this has only allowed it to “halt the negative trend.”
Bloomberg noted that immigration could help offset demographic shifts, an idea Pistorius floated last year. However, the current climate towards this idea is likely to be hostile after a backlash against migrants pushed Merz to adopt tougher immigration policies.
Bhurtel suggested that a faster path to citizenship for immigrants who choose to enlist could be one way to increase recruitment. Guntram Wolff, a senior fellow at the Bruegel research centre, agreed, saying that higher salaries alone may not be enough.
“The labour market has become empty, so we need to be more open. We have to take the integration of immigrants seriously, and that applies to the armed forces as well,” he said.
