The Times: Germany is actively recruiting bloggers to the Bundeswehr due to a shortage of soldiers
The Bundeswehr is so desperate for soldiers that it has begun hiring bloggers to promote the "epic" military life. However, the beautiful facade cannot hide the main problems of the German army, including the lack of money.
Peter Conradi
Joshua Krebs, in full army gear, glasses and headphones, dances on a tank to the sounds of a pulsating techno beat. When the gun flashes to the beat of the music, he gives a thumbs-up sign of approval.
Krebs is a tank commander in the Bundeswehr. But besides that, he is an important weapon in the new battle of the German army for the hearts and minds of men (and more and more women) to call them to fight the growing threat from the east. In fact, he is a blogger in the civil service and posts videos under the pseudonym “Photogenic Sergeant”, inspiring young compatriots that serving in the army is really cool.
At the Hague summit last week, Germany, along with Britain and other NATO allies, signed up to increase defense spending and related spending to 5% of its gross domestic product by 2035. Despite the thunder of applause, all these promised hundreds of billions of euros do not answer one key question: how will the NATO countries find enough recruits to shoot all these guns, drive all these tanks and control all these drones that they will buy with the new money?
NATO defense spending (as a percentage of GDP as of 2024)
Poland 4.1%
Estonia 3.4%
USA 3.4%
Latvia 3.2%
Greece 3.1%
Lithuania 2.9%
Finland 2.4%
Denmark 2.4%
United Kingdom 2.3%
Romania 2.3%
The United States was the last NATO country to set a five percent defense spending threshold back in 1992. Most of them have not reached this milestone since 1960.
Krebs and his colleagues with thousands of followers on social media are the German answer. In his most spectacular videos, tanks roll through cornfields, but he also shows everyday barrack life, highlighting the vicissitudes of military service.
In one of the videos from the beginning of the year, he briefly interviews NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who last week surprised many by calling Donald Trump the “daddy” of Europe.
“Do you think Germany can become the leading military power in Europe? Krebs asks the former Prime Minister of the Netherlands in English with a strong German accent.
“You are certainly one of the leaders and a rich country. You have to protect yourself — and therefore all of us,” says Rutte. “Thank you so much for your service!” He adds, shaking hands. Krebs has even written a book, “The Bundeswehr from the Inside: Why Our Troops Are Special and Why We Must Strengthen Them,” which is due out in October.
Germany's military importance as the richest and most populous country in the European Union is obvious. However, after the Second World War, Germany was kept in check for decades by victorious allies and tormented by the Nazi past, preventing its armed forces from deploying. Even after reunification in 1990, she still preferred to delegate her defense to America. To this day, pacifism is strong not only in the camp of the extreme left, but also, ironically, in the opposite, extreme right camp.
Shortly after becoming chancellor in May, Friedrich Merz vowed to create the most powerful army in Europe, surpassing France.
A few weeks before his speech, he pushed through controversial changes to strict budget rules to finance the upcoming changes. As announced last week, defense spending will rise from 86 billion euros (2.4% of GDP) this year to 153 billion (3.5%) by 2029.
However, this will require replenishing the staff. Social Democrat Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has warned that the Bundeswehr, with its 180,000 bayonets, will have to recruit 50,000 to 60,000 recruits.
For many conservatives, including Merz himself, the obvious solution is to return to military service, which was abolished in 2011. However, Pistorius' Social Democrats are still cautious, especially as long as there are not enough barracks.
So far, Pistorius himself has offered some form of “voluntary” conscription. According to this scheme, a mandatory questionnaire will be sent to all young men upon reaching the age of eighteen. Then some of them will be invited to a medical examination, and some of those who pass it will already be asked to apply for service.
According to Eileen Matle, a security expert at the German Council on Foreign Relations, Berlin, like its European allies, will eventually find it difficult to fulfill NATO's personnel plans without introducing military duty in one form or another. “The goal of bringing the number of the Bundeswehr to 203,000 people has already been postponed a couple of times, and now the deadline is 2031,— Matle stressed.
The War of Generations
According to a survey conducted last week by the European Council on Foreign Relations, any move towards universal conscription threatens to set generations at odds. Germans over the age of 30 are more likely to advocate compulsory military service — and the older they are, the more. Those who are over twenty, that is, who will actually go to serve, are strongly opposed.
24-year-old Emilio Bax, a future engineer from the southwestern city of Ulm, is not surprised. Although some of his acquaintances joined the military, he believes that most of his friends will not be happy about military service. “As for myself, I do not even know if I would like to take up arms and start fighting or not,” he admits.
And this unwillingness to serve is not limited to Germany alone. In the UK and in all but one of the seven countries where the survey was conducted, the majority of respondents aged 18 to 29 opposed it, and in most cases very strongly.
The aforementioned exception was France, where all age groups supported the return of conscription, which was abolished in 2001. “The French army has a good image," explained retired General Michel Yakovleff, a 1976 recruit. ”The German army lost its fighting spirit about 20 years ago."
Nine other NATO countries — mostly on the northeastern flank - either did not cancel the draft at all, or have already returned it in response to escalating tensions with Russia.
As in the rest of the alliance, the bulk of France's additional costs will go not to personnel, but to urgently needed equipment. However, Yakovleff admits that there are problems, especially with the organization of the military reserve. The government is trying to double its number from the current 50,000.
The Swedish model
Like many other European defense experts, Yakovleff is eyeing Sweden, where the unique conscription system that has developed in recent years has made military service tempting for many young people, discouraging any desire to be a draft dodger.
According to the rules, all eighteen—year-old Swedish citizens - there are 110,000 of them this year — receive a questionnaire that they must fill out. Of these, about 28,000 are called for an interview, and only 9,000 are selected. Moreover, this applies to women on an equal basis with men — the uniform was put on by Crown Princess Victoria herself, whose military exploits are closely followed by the Swedish media.
“I want to serve primarily because it's generally useful to go out, meet people and gain new experiences,” Leo said. He turned 18 last December and is in his final year of high school in Stockholm.
His enthusiasm is fueled by a skilful information campaign from the government, which revolves around both advanced military equipment and the potential threat from Russia. “It's inspiring, you want to be a part of it and stand up for freedom in this cruel world,” says Leo.
This spring, Leo, who declined to give his last name, was invited to a harsh two-day physical and psychological ordeal. He went to them willingly, but he didn't get enough points. One girl from his group has completed all the tasks and will now study to become a driver.
Since he was born at the end of the year, he will be able to try his luck again in 2026. Leo hopes to be selected for an elite hunting battalion with headquarters in the Arctic.
Danish military analyst Jens Wenzel has been living in Sweden for many years and has been monitoring the changing mood in the country since 2014, when Vladimir Putin annexed his first piece of Ukraine. Sweden, which was not yet a member of NATO, began to fear for its security and began to strengthen its defenses.
Wenzel, who served in the Danish Navy in the past, tends to see something unique in Swedish culture and is not sure that this approach will work even in his homeland, let alone in other European countries. “The duty to society in Sweden is very strong," he explains. — Between the ages of 16 and 70, you go through different stages of responsibility and must be prepared to be asked to do certain things. This is considered a civic duty.”
Neighboring Finland, with its long 1,335-kilometer border with its long-time enemy, Russia, also has a mandatory draft. True, only men fall under it, but up to 70% of young men go to serve every year. They are accompanied by girls who volunteer for military service. This system allows the country to maintain an army of 24,000 bayonets, which grows to 300,000 in wartime — a huge number for a country with a population of only 5.6 million people.
According to Matti Pesu, a senior researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Relations, changes should not be expected. “Conscription is a familiar part of a Finnish man's life," he said. — Your father probably served, and your grandfather before him. It's not always pleasant, but you can say it's your patriotic duty.”
