Top German parliamentary official laments massive shortage of army personnel

BERLIN

Germany’s armed forces (Bundeswehr) are suffering from a massive shortage of personnel, a parliamentary official said on Tuesday.

"The Bundeswehr's personnel, material and infrastructure must improve quickly. Impatience is called for and expectations are justified," said the Bundestag's commissioner for the armed forces, Eva Hoegl, in her 2024 annual report published on Tuesday. The German military must be "fully operational."

The Bundeswehr has once again not come any closer to its own goal of having a total of 203,000 soldiers by 2031. At the end of 2024, there were 181,174 active soldiers. The average age rose from 32.4 years in 2019 to 34 years now,” according to Hoegl.

However, the official pointed out, there is "finally movement everywhere" as the armed forces are receiving more money and weapons, and there are also initiatives to recruit personnel and structural reforms in order to focus on the core mission.

"These efforts were enormous, but the results are not (yet) visible, noticeable or measurable everywhere," said Hoegl.

She compared the Bundeswehr to a tanker that needs a long time to change course. "Time that we don't have."

The report confirms that Germany’s military has had "the most eventful years in its almost 70-year history" over the past five years.

In these five years, the core mission of the Bundeswehr has changed to national and alliance defense against the backdrop of the Russian war in Ukraine, according to Hoegl.

The Bundeswehr is "ready to deter potential aggressors through strength," she said.

Work is now being done to overcome current and future challenges, which are often based on failures in the past, Hoegl added.

European leaders are rushing to increase defense spending and their support for Kyiv, as US President Donald Trump advances talks to end the Ukraine war and refuses to commit to any future security guarantees.