The army’s demands come against a difficult political backdrop. Chancellor Friedrich Merz has pledged to turn the Bundeswehr into “Europe’s strongest conventional army” and take a greater responsibility for the continent’s defense — a promise that thrilled NATO allies but raised questions at home about how to deliver the numbers.
Recruitment remains a chronic problem. Despite record defense budgets, the Bundeswehr struggles to attract and retain new soldiers, with nearly a quarter of recruits dropping out within their first six months of service.
The government is already working on legislation that would require all 18-year-old men to register for military service, although joining up will remain voluntary. However, if certain recruitment targets are not met, conscription could return. The final bill is set to be voted in the Bundestag by mid-December.
The military memo sets out a demand for around 90,000 active posts and 64,000 non-active posts by 2029 — up from today’s 62,000 active and 37,000 non-active soldiers. Looking further ahead, the army foresees the need for an additional 45,000 active and 15,000 non-active posts by 2035 and beyond.
A key focus is Germany’s territorial defense command. Under the “Organizational Plan Germany,” its ranks are set to swell to roughly 138,000 posts by 2029, including at least 9,500 new active soldiers. That would make home defense forces the single largest component of the future German army.
The expansion is tied directly to NATO’s new force planning goals, agreed at a June summit in The Hague, which called on member states to prepare for large-scale, high-tech conflict with Russia and other adversaries.