Berlin The FDP calls for a new personnel offensive for the Bundeswehr. Among other things, foreigners should also be able to join the force. “In Germany we have great potential for young people without a German passport who would like to become German citizens and would also like to do something for it,” said the defense policy spokesman for the FDP parliamentary group, Alexander Müller, the Handelsblatt.
On a four-page paper entitled “Zeitenwende Personal”, Müller lists suggestions on how the armed forces can become more attractive as employers. One option would be fewer dislocations. Specialist careers should also be possible alongside the usual military careers.
At the end of last year, around 183,000 professional and temporary soldiers and military service volunteers were serving in the German armed forces. There are already huge staffing problems. Almost 16 percent of the military posts above the enlisted ranks were vacant. In the case of team careers, this even applied to almost every fifth post.
The situation will become even worse due to demographic change. Because the main target group for recruiting military personnel – German citizens between the ages of 18 and 25 – will shrink by more than twelve percent by 2050.
This poses a particular challenge for the Bundeswehr because it is expected to increase to 203,000 soldiers by 2031. The original goal of reaching that number by 2027 has already been dropped.
Applications for the Bundeswehr are falling
“Personnel is currently almost an even greater challenge than material,” said the Bundestag’s defense commissioner, Eva Högl, the Handelsblatt. Applications have fallen by 11 percent over the past year. Although hiring increased by 12 percent, the dropout rate among recruits was 21 percent. “That’s much too high,” emphasized Högl.
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In order to open up military careers to foreigners as well, defense politician Müller proposes a pilot project. The prerequisite would be that the applicants unequivocally commit to the basic values. After five years of service, they should have the prospect of German citizenship. Allies such as the USA or Great Britain have had good experiences with this, said Müller.
In the Union faction, the proposals meet with approval. Defense policy spokesman Florian Hahn (CSU) said he would welcome the opening of the Bundeswehr to foreign applicants. “But it can only work if the FDP ensures that the traffic lights don’t relax citizenship law anyway, as planned.” Because otherwise there would be easier ways to get a German passport than through the military.
However, the officer career must also become more flexible for specialist functions – especially with a view to future challenges such as strengthening cybersecurity. “An IT nerd wants to use the keyboard and do his job, but not go through the usual Bundeswehr assignments that you need for a higher post,” said Müller. Nevertheless, it should be possible for him to rise to a certain rank.
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Högl warned against raising false expectations when recruiting staff that would not be met in the end. As long as the barracks are not in a modern and orderly condition and do not even have a working WLAN, it will be difficult to get young people interested in the Bundeswehr.
“An IT nerd wants to get to the keyboard and do his job, but not go through the usual Bundeswehr assignments that you need for a higher post.”
(Photo: IMAGO/Christian Spicker)
The most important factors for an attractive Bundeswehr are also the compatibility of family and service, superiors who live a modern leadership style, sensible personal equipment and equipment for the soldiers and good career opportunities, emphasizes the Commissioner for the Armed Forces.
Quite a few servicewomen and men left the Bundeswehr because they could not do their regular service where their center of life is, she wrote in her most recent annual report. Here it could help to reduce isolated individual locations and instead concentrate barracks in easily accessible regions. In this way, careers are possible without a number of relocations.
Recruitment in the Bundeswehr is particularly slow for non-commissioned officers
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) is faced with the conflict of goals of having to better equip the troops in terms of both material and personnel. The most recent collective bargaining agreement in the public sector alone will lead to pay increases that will restrict budgetary investment leeway. At the same time, the Bundeswehr must remain financially attractive if it wants to compete with the private sector as an employer.
According to the annual report of the Armed Forces Commissioner, staff growth in recent years has been particularly successful in team careers, for which no civilian professional qualifications are required.
There are also enough junior officers to be found, because this career is linked to a course of study that offers good opportunities on the civilian job market even after leaving the troops. More difficult is the recruitment for the “intermediate level”, the non-commissioned officer careers.
FDP defense politician Müller is therefore calling for a more professional advertising and recruitment campaign for the Bundeswehr, to purchase equipment that the soldiers need for practice as quickly as possible, and for more training and further education to make subsequent civilian careers easier.
In addition, the Bundeswehr should deploy enough civilian personnel so that the soldiers can concentrate on their core military tasks.
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