Germany needs 260,000 soldiers to meet NATO's defense needs - Politico

To meet the growing defense needs of NATO, Germany will need up to 260,000 active duty troops. This was stated by the head of the country's military union, writes UNN with reference to Politico.

Details

The head of the Bundeswehr Association, Andre Wüstner, said that Germany will need up to 260,000 active duty soldiers to meet NATO's growing defense needs. This is a sharp increase from the government's official target of 203,000, set in 2016, Politico writes.

"The number of 203,000 is outdated and no longer realistic. I assume that, depending on what is decided at the NATO summit, we will need an additional 40,000 to 60,000 troops. This means that the number of active forces should gradually increase to 260,000 troops," Wüstner said in an interview with German media group RND on Friday.

The Bundeswehr currently has about 181,500 troops.

Additionally

Wüstner's warning came just as the German government is planning a new voluntary military service program.

Under the program, all 18-year-old men will be asked to fill out a questionnaire assessing their willingness and suitability for service. Women can participate voluntarily. The goal is to recruit about 5,000 volunteers per year.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stressed that the program is "initially voluntary," but left open the possibility of taking more radical measures.

I say this quite consciously and honestly: the emphasis is also on "initially", in case we cannot recruit enough volunteers 

Recall

Germany suspended military conscription in 2011.

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