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To: ransomnote

Fair assessment by Tass. You can get probably a better explanation from 3 or 4 German outlets.

Key factor....they wrote up a huge increase in reserves, and their recruitment so far (past dozen years)...has marginally worked. Added to this....there is a 30-percent failure rate for boot-camp and initial training.

For the reserves...they are allowing waivers on age, and I’ve seen commentary of 40-to-50 year old guys signing up. Their angle is reserve retirement at age 67...bumping up their current pension plan.


5 posted on 08/27/2025 10:01:01 AM PDT by pepsionice
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To: pepsionice
--- "You can get probably a better explanation from 3 or 4 German outlets."

We read the German news, as well, for having been legal residents there for decades before my bride retired. The German-language press reflects much of the same.

But for English-speakers, here's a wee look-back:

"A proposal to allow foreign citizens to serve in the German army, known as the Bundeswehr, could be extended to Europeans in countries outside of the EU.

"German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius had initially put forward the idea of welcoming non-Germans to enlist in order to combat a drastic shortage of personnel."

Germany weighs allowing foreign citizens into the army Deutsche Welle, 22 January 2024

Excerpt:
"The Bundestag's special commissioner for the armed forces, Eva Högl, has said that reinstating some form of conscription is one way to turn things around, but targeting women is a more obvious move to arrest the decline since potential there is 'far from exhausted,' the lawmaker wrote.

Europe's soldiers keep quitting, just when NATO needs them Politico, 18 March 2024.

For what it's worth as anecdote, quite a number of our old neighbors and friends are not keen on the notion of conscription.

What is amusing about the above columns is that nation A wants to lure nation B's young to enlist in nation A's military, while nation B wants to lure nation A's to enlist in nation B's military. France, to Germany, to Poland, to Belgium and so on.

There is a "tower of Babel" tinge to this when Pistorius thinks a Croat speaking no German can serve in the Bundeswehr, and the Forces armées françaises thinks a German speaking no French would "serve" well.

7 posted on 08/27/2025 10:20:14 AM PDT by Worldtraveler once upon a time (Degrow government)
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