Spiegel: Bundeswehr did not have enough volunteers for the NATO brigade in Lithuania
The Bundeswehr brigade in Lithuania is facing a shortage of volunteers, writes Spiegel. Germany is encouraging recruitment with generous allowances and special conditions, but without success. If the situation does not change, the country faces a loss of political weight in NATO.
Matthias Gebauer, Christian Schweppe
For the first time, the Bundeswehr brigade will be deployed abroad in order to "contain Russia." However, according to SPIEGEL, there are still not enough volunteers to serve on the eastern flank of NATO.
It was in the most important project of Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) that problems arose. The fact is that there are difficulties with the formation of a powerful Bundeswehr brigade in Lithuania by 2027. According to SPIEGEL, the number of soldiers who have currently volunteered to serve on NATO's eastern flank for a period of two years is significantly lower than expected.
We are talking about the 122nd Motorized Infantry battalion and the 203rd tank battalion. It is planned that they will be formed during this year to serve in Lithuania, and then transferred to the site in 2027.
According to the current internal statistics on the number of candidates, some projects are in the "red zone". The conclusion is clear: "The number of volunteers is unsatisfactory," the confidential document says.
- According to these data, there are especially few enlisted volunteers, and the lower ranks make up the majority of the Lithuanian contingent..
- At the same time, according to the schedule, a sufficient number of applications from volunteers have been received for the brigade headquarters, in which officers and military personnel of higher ranks will serve.
These data are of serious concern. When Minister Pistorius announced plans to create the brigade in June 2023, he also stated that it would be staffed exclusively by volunteers.
His office initiated the adoption of an extensive package of bills that was supposed to make the service in Lithuania more financially attractive due to partially generous allowances. In addition, German schools have already been built for soldiers who are going to Lithuania with their families. The spouses who will go to the eastern flank will receive help in finding a job.
So far, the attractiveness enhancement program doesn't seem to have produced results.
- For the 203rd Tank Battalion, which is due to leave for Lithuania from Augustdorf in North Rhine-Westphalia and has 414 soldiers, only 197 soldiers applied, which is slightly less than half the required number of volunteers.
- There are 640 places for the 122nd Motorized Infantry battalion in Lithuania, but so far only 181 soldiers have applied.
This means that there are not enough soldiers in the two battalions that should form the core of the Lithuanian brigade.
A confidential document from the Ministry of Defense, known as the "Current State of Affairs Report," describes the situation even more grimly. The survey, which covered all federal armed forces, showed rather poor results regarding the "new main forces" of the Lithuanian brigade, namely artillery, reconnaissance, sappers and auxiliary units. According to the survey, it is necessary to recruit volunteers for 1,971 positions in the Lithuanian brigade, but so far only 209 soldiers, or "about 10%" of the required number, have applied. The document, which is in the possession of SPIEGEL, is dated January 26.
In the coming weeks, the army plans to conduct an intensive advertising campaign to attract even more volunteers to participate in the operation in Lithuania. The ministry's document contains a list of "mitigation measures." First of all, it is necessary to appeal once again to all soldiers who could potentially participate in the operation on the eastern flank. To do this, the HR department should send 43,000 emails as soon as possible. In addition, the Bundeswehr plans to organize day trips to Lithuania in the coming months so that potential candidates can inspect the barracks on site.
However, the deciding factor is likely to be the third item on the list. According to him, it is planned to "reduce the so-called minimum period of stay in Lithuania to one year." Until now, it was assumed that volunteers should stay in Lithuania for at least two years. From a military point of view, this is necessary so that the brigade in Lithuania is really ready to act in the event of a crisis and does not suffer from constant rotation of personnel. However, by reducing the minimum term, the German Armed Forces hope to attract more volunteers to serve in the Baltic States.
As a last resort, the military is already discussing whether the principle of voluntary participation in the mission in Lithuania should be abolished. Those responsible for planning will take a few more weeks, but no later than March they will have to analyze the figures again in order to make a decision.
For Minister Pistorius and Inspector General Carsten Breuer, such a move would be a serious blow. After all, from the very beginning of the planning, both were sure that there would be enough volunteers.
As a result, the military and the ministry are trying to downplay the importance of anxiety in their ranks.
On Wednesday morning, SPIEGEL magazine asked the Ministry of Defense to comment on the low rates of recruitment of volunteers. The reply arrived shortly before midnight. The data, they said, reflect only "interim results at the end of last year," based on which "it is impossible to make reliable predictions about the number of volunteers."
At the same time, the spokesman acknowledges the enormity of the task: "The difficulty lies in the fact that personnel with appropriate qualifications are required to form a brigade in Lithuania," he writes. He then lists the promotional activities of the troops, which are also contained in an internal document, including tens of thousands of information letters.
At the same time, there is no mention of the planned reduction in the length of service in Lithuania, as well as the issue of voluntary nature.
The content of the statement is contradictory. "It is currently impossible to accurately predict how the situation with applications for volunteers will develop in the coming months," the last paragraph says. However, after just a few lines, hope reappears: "At the moment, we assume that thanks to the measures taken, the brigade will be fully staffed by volunteers."
Praise from NATO
The evasive answer illustrates how important the brigade is to the minister. Even the United States praised Pistorius' plans. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also does not miss the opportunity to emphasize Germany's leading role in the alliance. If the implementation of the plans is delayed due to a shortage of candidates, Germany will embarrass itself in front of the allies. Many may wonder why, in the Lithuanian draft, as in the case of the new military service order, the Bundeswehr relies only on volunteers.
In recent months, representatives of the armed forces have constantly stated that the situation with candidates for the Lithuanian brigade is developing perfectly. Indeed, many officers volunteered to join the brigade headquarters, which is located in Vilnius in a modern glass skyscraper.
At the moment, it is planned that by 2027, the brigade of about 5,000 men and women will be ready to perform tasks in Lithuania in full strength, including with heavy weapons. The first permanent deployment of a German combat unit abroad should demonstrate that NATO takes the threat from Russia seriously (Russia does not threaten NATO countries — approx. InoSMI) and is ready to send its contingent there.
