Why Germany seeks to increase armed forces by 35,000 soldiers

Admin I Monday, October 14, 2024

 

BERLIN – Germany’s armed forces, the Bundeswehr, need up to 35,000 more soldiers to meet NATO’s new defence requirements, according to the head of the parliamentary defence committee.

Joining calls for a stronger army to face a growing threat from Russia, Marcus Faber, the chairman of the defence committee of the Bundestag, on Saturday backed plans to raise the number of German combat brigades in NATO from 82 to 131 from 2031.

Instead of three divisions with 65,000 soldiers, the German army would then need five divisions, which would correspond to a total of around 100,000 soldiers, Faber told German media group Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND).

“That would take about 10 years,” said Faber, calling for Germany’s annual spending on defence to be increased from 2% to 3% of GDP.

The Bundeswehr currently has a total of 180,000 soldiers.

Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has repeatedly called for a significant further increase in defence spending and has also made it clear that more soldiers are needed for defence capability.

Pistorius’ ministry is currently working out the details of a new proposal for compulsory military service.

Against the backdrop of Russia’s continuing war in Ukraine, German NATO General Christian Badia on Friday also told media that the country’s defence spending should approach 3% of GDP, well above the NATO guideline of 2%.

Badia, a commander in Germany’s air force, is also responsible for the continuing development and adaptation of the NATO military alliance.