Germany’s army needs up to 260,000 troops, says top military unionist

BERLIN — Germany will need as many 260,000 active-duty soldiers to meet NATO’s growing defense demands, the head of the country’s military union has warned, a sharp increase from the government’s official target of 203,000.

That target was first set in 2016, long before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and NATO’s renewed focus on defense capabilities. Since then, the Bundeswehr has struggled to grow. It currently has around 181,500 troops.

“The number of 203,000 is outdated and no longer realistic,” said André Wüstner, chairman of the Bundeswehr Association, an influential interest group that advocates for better equipment, staffing and working conditions within the German armed forces.

"I assume that, depending on what is decided at the NATO summit, we will need an additional 40,000 to 60,000 soldiers," Wüstner said in an interview with German media group RND published Friday. "That means the active force would need to gradually grow to as many as 260,000 troops."

NATO leaders are set to meet for a summit in The Hague on June 24-25, where increasing the alliance's defense spending target will be discussed.

Wüstner's warning comes just as the German government plans a new voluntary military service program — part of its effort to address the Bundeswehr’s chronic personnel shortage.

The program will ask all 18-year-old men to fill out a questionnaire gauging their willingness and suitability for service. Women can take part voluntarily. The goal is to recruit around 5,000 volunteers per year.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius emphasized that the program is “initially voluntary,” but left the door open to taking more drastic steps.

“I say this quite deliberately and honestly: The emphasis is also on ‘initially,’ in case we cannot recruit enough volunteers,” he told lawmakers in the Bundestag earlier this month. “We still have too few people for what our armed forces must accomplish.”

Germany suspended conscription in 2011. A return of the draft would mark a significant political shift.