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Germany may reinstate compulsory military service if a revamped volunteer system fails to meet recruitment goals, the defense minister said in comments published Saturday. In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, Boris Pistorius laid out a timeline for Germany’s new military service model, which aims to bolster the understrength army. The initial program will rely on voluntary enlistment, but Pistorius warned that could change. "If the time comes when we have more capacity available than voluntary registrations, then a decision may be made to make recruitment mandatory. That is the roadmap," he said. He said the government of Chancellor...

BERLIN (Reuters) - The German army's battle-readiness is less than when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, military officials, lawmakers and defence experts told Reuters.Even if a new government boosts defence spending, it will remain hamstrung for years, particularly by a lack of air defence, artillery and soldiers, they said."Before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, we had eight brigades at around 65% readiness," Colonel Andre Wuestner, head of the German Armed Forces Association, told Reuters in an interview. Sending weapons, ammunition and equipment to Ukraine, as well as accelerating Germany's own drills, took a toll on the available equipment, he said."Together, this...

The total number of full-time and reservist Bundeswehr German military personnel shrank by roughly 1,500 in 2023, despite efforts to recruit more troops, Germany's Defense Ministry told the dpa news agency on Friday. As of December 31, 2023, the total stood at roughly 181,500 men and women, compared to 183,050 at the end of the previous year. A spokeswoman for the ministry told dpa that the Bundeswehr's goal was still to sustainably increase the size of its ranks. "We need qualified men and women ready for operations, who will stand ready in sufficient numbers for the tasks and missions ahead,"...

Germany is willing to send around 4,000 troops to Lithuania on a permanent basis to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said during a visit in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius ...He said infrastructure and facilities will need to be created to accommodate the soldiers and their families. In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine early last year, the German government pledged last June to have a combat brigade ready to defend Lithuania in the event of an attack.. Until now, however, there have been differences over whether the soldiers should be permanently stationed in Lithuania or...

German defence minister says his country cannot protect itself in warThe Germany Defence Minister said the army of his country is understaffed and does not have adequate equipment as it has been neglected from the federal government for decades Berlin: German army is not capable of protecting the country against any offensive, said Defence Minister Boris Pistorius. He further alleged that the Bundeswehr is understaffed and under-equipped after being left neglected from the federal government for decades. “We have no armed forces that are capable of defending [Germany] that is, capable of defending [it] against an offensive, brutally waged aggressive...

A military ceremony has been held in honour of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is due to step down next week after 16 years in office...

The German government is to spend part of its €50bn economic stimulus package on supplies for its armed forces, possibly including submachine guns, military vehicles and underwater mine detectors. The revelation has upset anti-war politicians and raised questions about the effectiveness of measures intended to help Germany overcome a deep recession. The defence ministry said it would receive almost €500m ($633m, £444m) from the stimulus package. Although it would spend about half the windfall on the renovation and construction of buildings and barracks, a further €226.2m had been pencilled in to buy weapons, military vehicles and combat systems. A provisional...

BERLIN, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- In a major change in military posture, Germany has outlined a plan for a force capable of interventions anywhere in the world, Time magazine reported. Germany's Defense Minister Peter Struck has announced a shift from territorial defense to overseas peacekeeping, the magazine reported in its latest edition. Germany is also announcing massive cuts in high-tech weapons development. The armed forces will be divided into three groups, a force of 35,000 "intervention" troops, 70,000 "stabilizing" troops and 137,500 support troops. Struck declared that the possible area of deployment for the Bundeswehr is the "whole world," aimed...

Most of the attention on Germany's sweeping cuts in its defense budget has focused on the money. That's understandable, with Germany now on track to be spending a bare 1 percent of gross domestic product on defense (Britain spends nearly 3 percent and the United States almost 4 percent). But the real story lies in the transformation of the still-formidable German military. Defense Minister Peter Struck's announcement noted that 100 of Germany's bases (about one in five) will be closed and the current armed forces of 285,000 troops, sailors and airmen will be cut back to 250,000. Moreover, the present...

Germany to cut troops and close bases to save £18bn By Kate Connolly in Berlin (Filed: 14/01/2004) Germany's defence minister, Peter Struck, ordered drastic cuts in the military and slashed defence spending by £18 billion yesterday. He said changes since the Cold War and a government austerity drive were behind the decision to reduce numbers by 35,000 to 250,000 and to close 111 bases in the next eight years. His decision led to a debate about the future of mandatory military service, a feature of German life since the country was unified under Bismarck in 1870. Army conscription in Germany...

German Defence Minister Peter Struck has announced that the German armed forces will be reduced in size and in future will focus on crisis management and peacekeeping operations. Troop strength will be cut by 35,000 regulars and 10,000 civilian personnel. Military hardware will also be adjusted to the new mission. Mr Struck expects to save 26 billion euros, partly through closing down around one hundred army bases.