Was passiert hier?
On average yearly, it’s around 1,600 to 1,800 who retire. Last I heard, for NCO’s...age 53 is the max point where you have to exit. Officers, age 59.
On recruitment, they have the same issue as in the US...more opportunities for youth exist. If you live in Baden-Wurttemberg or Bavaria...there’s just a ton of apprentice positions there. Not so much in the East or NW.
New boss for the Bundeswehr came in early in 2023...perceived as a big-step up. They got a bundle of money to upgrade equipment to make up for the Merkel years. It’s just hard to sell a career at this point.
This chatter of allowing non-Germans into the Bundeswehr comes up, but I don’t see how this would work, purely on language requirements. It’d take a year to reach a basic level, from scratch.