Germany needs 100.000 more soldiers

The German military must add 100.000 active-duty soldiers to its current strength of 62.000 to meet new NATO goals designed to boost readiness for the growing threat of Russian aggression.

This was stated by its commander in a confidential document seen by Reuters.

“It is imperative that the army becomes sufficiently war-ready by 2029 and provides the capabilities that Germany has promised (to NATO) by 2035,” wrote Army Chief Alfons Mais in a letter dated September 2 to Chief of the General Staff Carsten Breuer.

He said achieving those goals was impossible with the current authorized manpower level, which also includes 37.000 inactive troops, Reuters reported.

Germany has already begun to increase its commitments to its allies in Eastern Europe, including by establishing a German brigade in Lithuania, which is expected to number around 5.000 soldiers, as well as by deploying a naval patrol in the Baltic Sea to counter underwater sabotage.

May called for an increase of about 45.000 active-duty troops by 2029 - the year the US-led alliance has estimated Russia could be capable of a large-scale attack on Western allies.

Moscow persistently denies any intention to wage war against NATO or its members.

In addition, to meet NATO goals agreed at the June summit and create reserves for a war of attrition, such as Russia is waging in Ukraine, Mays estimated that 2035 more active troops would be needed by 45.000.

He also called for about 10.000 additional troops to strengthen territorial defense.

A spokesman for the Defense Ministry in Berlin declined to comment on the document, citing its confidential nature.

He said that NATO has adjusted its capability goals in response to significantly increased threats following a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022:

"According to a first rough estimate, a total of around 460.000 personnel (from Germany) will be needed, divided into approximately 260.000 active soldiers and around 200.000 reservists."

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced in June that Germany would need up to 60.000 additional active-duty personnel across all branches of the military to meet new NATO goals, bringing the total strength of Germany's armed forces, the Bundeswehr, to around 260.000.

However, as Reuters reports, they have still not reached the target of 203.000 soldiers, set in 2018, and still have a shortfall of around 20.000 regular personnel, according to the Ministry.