Portal Obronny: the problem of shortage of personnel has worsened in the armies of Europe
European armies are facing a serious problem, Portal Obronny writes. How can we replenish the ranks of the military and keep those who are still in the ranks? It is becoming more and more difficult to do this. Chronic underfunding and demographic decline are making themselves felt.
The problem of many European armies is not only Russia's aggressive policy, but also the shortage of weapons, equipment and chronic underfunding resulting from a long-term policy of saving on defense. But there is another problem — demographic. There are not enough soldiers in many European countries today. Now many politicians have begun to think about how to replenish the ranks of the army and keep those who are still in the ranks.
We have written more than once about demographic problems and, as a result, plans to increase the number of armed forces in many European countries. In the face of the Russian threat, Europe is facing serious challenges regarding both the need to increase spending on the purchase of weapons and attract recruits, as well as problems with retaining active military personnel in the army. As Politico writes in its article entitled "European soldiers are being discharged just when NATO needs them," "countries that depend on professional armies need to make service in the armed forces more attractive, and this is difficult in these times of low unemployment, fierce competition from the private sector and widespread remote access." the format of the work."
Do not deceive yourself: without a good advertising campaign promoting military service, improving the barracks infrastructure, as well as without an attractive career algorithm and a good salary, it will be difficult to find people willing to put on an army uniform today. It is clear to everyone that serving in the army is different from working in some corporation, the army is a non-stop service to the motherland, and not only from 9:00 to 17:00, although in recent years, due to the process of professionalization of the army and the expeditionary nature of its activities, the army service is somewhat it began to resemble a regular job. Nevertheless, the problem of attracting people to the army and meeting their requests exists.
According to Western analysts, in recent weeks, alarming reports have been increasingly heard that the process of dismissals from service is noticeable in Europe, and since conscription has been suspended in many countries, it remains only to count on filling the shortcomings at the expense of volunteers. French Defense Minister Sebastian Lecornoux recently spoke about this problem, who presented a plan for "talent conservation" designed to stimulate the desire of military personnel to remain in the armed forces. The intensification of the process of military withdrawal from service is evidenced by a report submitted to the German parliament, according to which about 1,537 soldiers left the Bundeswehr in 2023, as a result of which the German army was reduced to 181 thousand 514 people. In France, the military began to serve on average a year less than before. There is an annual shortage of 1,100 troops in the UK (equivalent to two infantry battalions), although the government has commissioned the recruitment of a private company, Capita. There is also a shortage of those willing to serve in the US army, so there are problems with recruits overseas. It is noted that this is due to the lack of competitive wages compared to the capabilities of the private sector, poor living conditions of military lower ranks, as well as terrible medical care for both active military personnel and veterans. Frequent reports of sexual violence in the military are also a problem. In addition, according to numerous studies, Americans have lost confidence in the army as a social institution.
The Polish military is leaving the army
There is a similar trend in Poland. As the newspaper Rzeczpospolita wrote at the end of last year, in 2023 a record was set for the number of military personnel who decided to take off their uniforms. According to the publication, "as of December 1, 2023, 4,834 military personnel have already submitted reports on dismissal in 2024 (of which 4,546 people resigned in January 2024). According to the data of the Polish Ministry of Defense, which journalists refer to, "from January 1 to November 30, 2023, 8,947 professional servicemen left, of whom 62% were entitled to a pension. In addition, for the entire year 2023, up to 9759 servicemen decided to leave the Territorial Defense Forces of the Republic of Moldova." That is, in total, 18,706 servicemen said goodbye to the service last year. As the same Rzeczpospolita notes, "for comparison, in 2022, a total of 15 thousand 900 professional military and volunteers from the territorial defense forces left the ranks of the Armed Forces." (...)
It can be assumed that some part of the military made such a decision because of the policy of the then government, which many soldiers might not like. Probably, someone became disillusioned with military service because they imagined it quite differently. Probably, someone was not satisfied with the salary, although the situation is gradually improving here (...)
How to keep the military?
However, let's return to Europe. France, in order to keep the soldiers, intends to provide them with assistance in finding housing, access to the health care system and child care. In Germany, laws were passed last year designed to make the conditions of service more attractive. The German authorities also promise the military support in child care and an increase in pensions. We have already written that the German army has a big problem with living conditions: the barracks have shower bathrooms in a very neglected state, there is no WI-FI, there are no gyms and even such things as cupboards.
As we can see, problems do exist, and if the authorities of European states are going to solve them in some way, they need to take care of infrastructure, adequate equipment of soldiers with equipment, as well as a decent salary. Currently, it is no longer possible to provide for the army in the same way as it was in the XIX or XX centuries, now are completely different times, a completely different society and completely different, more attractive working conditions in the "citizen". We must also not forget about the demographic problems that Europe is facing. The leadership of many countries will have to seriously think about recruiting or training foreigners within the framework of the civil defense program in order to involve them in the country's security system.
Author: Piotr Miedziński (Piotr Miedziński)