Head of the Bundeswehr Association calls for strengthening the troops

Mr. Wüstner, the Chancellor wants to make the Bundeswehr the strongest conventional army in Europe. What would that require?

If Germany wants to achieve the strongest conventional army in Europe, it needs, first and foremost, political strength, a society willing to defend itself, and a powerful industry as the foundation for a fully equipped Bundeswehr. The Bundeswehr's greatest challenge is personnel growth.

In what way?

Former Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces, Eva Högl, rightly pointed out that the military is aging and shrinking. We must ensure a reversal of this trend. Looking ahead to the NATO summit and what Germany will pledge there, I can't imagine the New Military Service without a mandatory element. I believe this is well-worded in the coalition agreement – ​​specifically with the clause "initially voluntary." Enrollment must be enabled as quickly as possible. This includes a letter of application and then an initial contact, ideally combined with a new form of conscription.

But that’s not all.

Regardless of the number of volunteers that sign up by the end of 2026, the Ministry of Defense must also prepare now for a possible switch to mandatory service, because planning, organizing, and implementing such a switch would take 18 to 20 months, and we cannot afford to wait another 20 months after a political decision. So, we have to pursue a two-pronged approach. Mandatory service should be prepared as a kind of insurance policy, in the spirit of precaution, so that we can immediately switch to mandatory service after a political decision.

How quickly can this happen?

Preparations for the legislative process are in full swing. The Minister already issued the corresponding order after his trip to Scandinavia last year. This also includes questions such as how a new military service can be managed in terms of personnel, how to deal with the likely increased number of conscientious objectors, and possible questions about alternative service. We don't yet have the necessary organizational elements in place, and they cost personnel, infrastructure, and money. Everything necessary for this must be initiated this year. Otherwise, we might end up in a situation where politicians decide—but we are practically unprepared.

This means that the Bundeswehr must be larger than before.

The Bundeswehr must definitely be larger than the 203,300 soldiers originally set as the target for 2025 before the pandemic. The future target depends on the design of NATO capability goals and Germany's burden-bearing capacity. However, I assume that, depending on what is decided at the NATO summit, we will need between 40,000 and 60,000 additional soldiers. This means that the active force would have to grow gradually to up to 260,000 soldiers. At the same time, a capable reserve must be developed from this to reach the target of 460,000 soldiers set by the Inspector General.

And until when?

The minister has identified 2029 as the year by which Russia should be able to challenge NATO at its borders. It would therefore be important to gradually increase the number of troops by then. However, this will only be possible if, independent of the New Military Service, we also increase the attractiveness of service in the Bundeswehr, which requires, among other things, new service and career models and new pay structures. In other words: A new military service alone will by no means solve the problem of recruiting and retaining personnel.

What else needs to happen?

One of our Achilles heels is the arms industry. In parallel with changes to procurement law, capacities must be ramped up in Germany and Europe. It's not enough to simply place orders; production and delivery must also be as fast as possible. And this must be done in such a way that armament takes place as a system network. In terms of capabilities, the Bundeswehr is a large puzzle. And every piece of the puzzle must be present and deployed precisely to create the appropriate capability profile. Only if we succeed in this during this legislative period better than before will we be able to fulfill our mission. To do this, we must continue to fight overregulation. Some processes and structures are still geared towards managing shortages. We must change them so that growth is actually possible and faster than before. This is the most urgent task of the Ministry of Defense and Parliament, and I am pleased that the necessary legislative changes are being prepared.

Is all of this explained sufficiently?

It is of paramount importance that the government as a whole understands what is at stake now. The demands on us in the Alliance are enormous, and it cannot be ruled out that the US President will thin his armed forces in Europe after the NATO summit, which will require us Europeans to close the resulting additional gaps in Europe's defense planning.

What do you recommend?

What is happening right now, and what it means for us in Germany and in Europe, must be communicated to our society. It is good that our government has recognized the security challenges and is assuming a new kind of leadership in Europe, coordinated with our closest partners. The threat level is enormous, and yet we must not allow ourselves to be discouraged. We can continue to live in peace and freedom if we take the right steps after the NATO summit and explain the challenges of the next decade to our society – ideally not just through a government statement, but through a separate address by the Chancellor to all of us. An address that makes clear that we do not want to wage war, but must achieve maximum defense capability to prevent war through deterrence.

What would be the goal of such an address?

It must be understood: those who are capable of defending themselves deter, those who are not, invite.