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Military faces looming soldier shortage
Published: 1 Mar 11 07:37 CET | Print version
Updated: 1 Mar 11 14:20 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/national/20110301-33413.html
The German military could find itself short thousands of soldiers once conscription ends because few volunteers appear to be interested in signing up.
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According to military documents from early February, the number of volunteers interested in enlisting in April is currently just 10 percent of the target, the newspaper reported.
The statistics have raised fears in the Bundeswehr that the end of conscription could endanger the readiness of German forces.
The Bundeswehr hopes to enlist up to 15,000 volunteers a year in a new all-professional military. They would serve between 12 and 23 months. The plan is to reduce the armed forces from its current size of 240,000 soldiers to around 170,000.
But the resignation of Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg of Tuesday could cloud what would be the biggest reform effort in the Bundeswehr's history.
A spokesman for the Defence Ministry admitted to the Financial Times Deutschland that it was "not yet satisfied" with the interest level, but warned against jumping to conclusions. The ministry plans to start an enlistment campaign this month to get the numbers up.
DAPD/The Local/kdj
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Your comments about this article:
The Bundeswehr is bloated with useless conscripts that at the end of the day would rather be at home than on the front line, get rid of them and make it a proffesional armed force with better incentives for the right people.
Second problem is simply the career path of most German kids by age sixteen. Most have plans and don't really want to change them to include the military.
Finally, you come to this issue of political slant. Even by early teens....a fair number of German youth are anti-military and find it a bit crazy to even consider the military as an option.
In the USA there are areas of high unemployment that offer good opportunities for recruiters.
Germany will find many of it's recruits from areas in the former GDR that have higher than normal unemployment.It is doubtful however that the goal of 170,000 will be achieved with good volunteers unless the pay is very attractive.
I think he can do this within the first year. at this rate, easily
- it used to be cool, not many brownie points anymore
- it used to lead to good civilian careers afterwards, leadership & responsibility, technical achievements.. - the good bits are outsourced to civilians anyway now
- it used to be something to be proud of, defending the country! Now you are fighting to instal puppet regimes in someone else's empire
The military in Germany is just at the hard end of this problem, most countries are going the same way. Unless the modern world finds a new use for armies that offers young people what they need - we won't have any armies soon
I'll bet you anything a soldier (who gets sent to some Durka-Durkastan to get his head or legs blown off) does it on a 400 euro basis.
Then he's fighting to defend American Oil interests or something like that.
The only ones I can see joining up are the NPD/Nazis. Once that happens, there will be a major incident down the line somewhere that will make the Gorch Fock look like tabloid gossip.
Now tell me again why the bright young things needed to lead armies should join up?
I've never done less than 12!!
And American has an aircraft carrier off the coast of Libya, when America doesn't even get oil from there -- Libyan oil goes to Europe.
Can't wait till it wakes up and leaves the Europeans to their own defense!!!!