Germany’s top military officer has outlined ambitious plans to expand the Bundeswehr's personnel capacity, with a strong emphasis on boosting the number of reservists.
Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, General Carsten Breuer, said the armed forces are maintaining their goal of fielding just over 200,000 active-duty soldiers. Currently, the Bundeswehr counts around 182,000 troops, Caliber.Az reports, citing German media.
In light of growing security demands and Germany’s strategic role within NATO, Breuer stated that the Bundeswehr must be capable of mobilizing a total force of 460,000 soldiers and reservists. This figure reflects Germany’s obligations to the alliance, particularly its logistical responsibilities for troop deployments on NATO’s eastern flank.
To meet this goal, the Bundeswehr plans to prepare approximately 100,000 reservists by the end of the decade. Breuer acknowledged, however, that these personnel cannot be easily drawn “from the labor market.”
“That’s why we have to rely on military service – in whatever form it may take,” Breuer said, adding that the decision between reinstating compulsory service or relying on voluntary enlistment remains a political matter.
At present, the Bundeswehr has a standing reserve force of about 60,000. An additional 100,000 reservists could potentially be recruited from among the 800,000 former service members who have left the military in recent years.
Still, that leaves a shortfall of roughly 100,000 reservists, Breuer noted. Closing that gap will be essential to ensuring Germany's readiness in the face of shifting geopolitical challenges and NATO's evolving defense posture.
By Khagan Isayev
Source: caliber.az
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