At the end of October, the Bundeswehr said it counted 181,383 soldiers in its ranks — that’s still some distance from the target of 203,000 that the German military hopes to reach by 2025. This has given rise to concern in times of Russia’s war against Ukraine, which has once again reminded Germans how quickly conflicts can erupt in Europe.
Since taking office at the beginning of 2023, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has been thinking about ways to make the Bundeswehr more attractive as a career. He said he has received 65 concrete proposals from his ministry on recruitment and reforming training methods.
Look, again, I have nothing to protect. What should I protect? The homes I will never able to afford? The lifestyles of the rich that I will never have?
If this society was actually fair then maybe I would indeed have something to protect. As it stands now, I literally do not care one inch. I own nothing and probably never will. If I had a home, then I’d be willing to pick up arms. But half the homes in Germany are straight up owned by corporations. They can go hire their own mercenaries.
That is a fair point.
I have at least some confidence that the system I would protect is better than the one any realistic invader would offer.
The behavior of attackers toward civilian population is another aspect: I want to ensure my family and friends don’t get subjected to the same kind of treatment as we have seen from various armies.