The number of German soldiers has fallen to 181,500, despite major government efforts to increase their numbers, the defense ministry announced on Friday.
This means that at the end of last year, there were about 1,500 fewer professional soldiers and volunteers serving military service in the Bundeswehr than a year earlier. At the end of 2022, there were 183,050 of them.
The primary goal of the army remains the sustainable strengthening of the readiness of its personnel, said the spokeswoman of the ministry. “We need qualified and operationally ready men and women sufficient for the tasks and missions ahead,” she said.
The German goal is to increase the number of soldiers to 203,000 by 2031.
Due to the decline in the number of soldiers, there has recently been a discussion about the reintroduction of compulsory military service or the conscription of soldiers who are not German citizens.
In Germany, in 2011, after 55 years, compulsory military service was suspended, but not abolished.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 shook the German defense establishment, causing a number of changes, including an increase in the military budget and concerns about overall combat readiness, Hina news agency reports.
