Germany plans to send letters to 18-year-olds to join the military

Germany plans to send letters offering service in the armed forces to all 18-year-old citizens.

The Associated Press News reported on this.

As part of the new legislation, Germany plans to intensify its recruitment campaign to strengthen the armed forces with new people.

Boris Pistorius said the proposed bill would allow the government to send letters to all young men who turn 18 asking about their willingness and ability to serve in the military.

It is estimated that approximately 400,000 people in Germany turn 18 every year. The move is the latest and most desperate attempt by the Defense Ministry to maintain the composition of the armed forces.

Under the law, those who receive the letter would have to fill out the questionnaire. The army would then invite those interested in serving for a medical checkup and choose the most qualified to serve in the military for a period between 6 and 23 months.

“Russia has now been waging a war against Ukraine for two and a half years — it is not only calling the rules-based international order into question, it is destroying it,” Pistorius said.

The campaign is part of efforts to increase the number of active forces to 203,000 from the current just under 181,000.

The Ministry of Defense has repeatedly proposed strengthening the armed forces due to the threat from Russia.

The German Defense Ministry plans to significantly strengthen the reserve of the Bundeswehr, which should number up to 60,000 men and women.

The aim of the Bundeswehr command is to equip and train companies and battalions of reservists that could be easily integrated into the brigade’s operational command.

Militarnyi previously reported that the German Ministry of Defense plans to begin preparing the country’s armed forces for a potential war by 2029.

Also, the German Ministry of Defense prepared three proposals for the possible restoration of military service conscription in the country.