German Armed Forces Reach Highest Personnel Level in 13 Years

The number of military personnel in the German Armed Forces reached its highest level in 13 years in July 2026.

The German Federal Ministry of Defence reported this on August 17.

As of the end of the previous month, the German Armed Forces had 186,700 personnel.

Compared with July 2025, the number of military personnel increased by 3,700, or more than 2%. The ministry said the figure is within the target range for the current year.

One factor behind the increase was the introduction of a new military recruitment system. Since the beginning of 2026, 18-year-old German citizens have been sent questionnaires asking whether they are willing to complete six months of military service voluntarily. Filling out the questionnaire is mandatory for men and voluntary for women.

Of the approximately 378,000 people who received the questionnaires, about 2,630 underwent a fitness assessment in July. This was 35% more than the previous month.

Under the new recruitment system, the Bundeswehr currently has about 12,100 volunteers and personnel serving on short-term contracts. This is approximately 6% more than a year earlier.

In July, 47,300 people also applied for military service under contract. This was 26% more than in July 2025. By the end of July, the number of new recruits stood at 15,400, up 12% from the previous year.

Germany aims to increase the number of contract personnel to at least 260,000 by 2035 and the reserve to 200,000.

Priority is being given to voluntary military service. If the required personnel level cannot be reached through voluntary recruitment, Germany could introduce mandatory military service.

Amid plans to expand the military, Germany plans to reactivate five former military facilities to accommodate Bundeswehr personnel.

The facilities are located in Sigmaringen, Kusel, Speyer, Soest and Friedberg. All five are planned to be handed over to the German Army.