Not with Gen Z.
At least not with ze ones in Germany.
German army struggles to get Gen Z recruits ‘ready for war.’
Bundeswehr has a high dropout rate and the number of conscientious objectors is rising.
World War Z?
Tag Archives: Bundeswehr
The Trump Effect
It’s more than just getting rid of your pronouns.
German poll shows approval for more defense spending as NATO steels itself for Trump 2.0 – A majority of Germans support significant defense spending increases, an outlook that coincides with the imminent return of Donald Trump to the White House and an anticipated pressure campaign on allied militaries to step up, a new public opinion survey found.
In September, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius proposed pushing the amount of spending dedicated to the military from 2% of gross domestic product to between 3 and 3.5%.
In a new poll released Monday by the Koerber-Stiftung Institute, 50% of respondents supported Pistorius’ idea, while a further 15% said even more should be spent on German defense.
What German troops?
Take your time, Lithuania.
You’ve got all the time in the world.
Lithuania begins construction of base for German troops near Russian border – Lithuania on Monday began construction of a military base, which will accommodate up to 4,000 combat-ready German troops once completed by the end of 2027, in the first permanent foreign deployment for the German military since World War Two.
Germany committed to deploy troops in the NATO and European Union member, which borders Russia, last year. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius compared the decision to the posting of allied forces in West Germany during the Cold War to defend Western Europe in case of a Soviet attack.
Just don’t drink the water…
In Germany?
Montezuma’s Revenge it is not. More like Moscow’s Revenge, I’d say.
Drinking water contaminated? Suspected sabotage again at Bundeswehr base – Once again there is suspicion of sabotage at a Bundeswehr base. This time, a fence at a drinking water tank in Mechernich, North Rhine-Westphalia, has been cut. The public health department warns against using the water.
Germany is also thinking about offering free beer for everybody…
But that ain’t gonna happen either.
Germany is thinking about bringing back conscription – But the chancellor is reluctant.
“Kriegstüchtig” does not trip easily off the English tongue. Nor does it fall easily on German ears. Translated roughly as “war-ready”, it is a word deployed by Boris Pistorius, the defence minister, to describe his favoured destination for the long under-resourced Bundeswehr, or armed forces. Money is now pouring in, and Mr Pistorius is overhauling the Bundeswehr’s structures. But like many of its nato allies, Germany is struggling to find enough willing recruits. The minister is among many who want Germany to consider restoring conscription, suspended since 2011, to get the numbers up.
We’ll be ready for war by 2129
I mean 2029, of course.
But only if nothing unforeseen happens. Like war, or something.
German defense minister calls for war readiness by 2029 – Germany’s Boris Pistorius has said the country needs to prepare for a worst-case scenario regarding the specter of war in Europe. He also said a return to some form of military conscription would likely be necessary.
“Chronic overwork?”
In the German army?
Damn. Dodging responsibility is more stressful than I imagined.
German army officer jailed for spying for Russia – A German military officer has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for spying for Russia.
The man, identified only as Thomas H, had been a captain in the army’s procurement office when he contacted Russian embassy in Berlin and passed on secret military information…
The man claimed that chronic overwork had impaired his ability to think critically about his actions.
Having a “war-capable” army?
What will these crazy Germans dream up next?
Germany’s defense minister overhauls the military command as he seeks ‘war-capable’ armed forces – Germany’s defense minister has announced a plan to streamline and reorganize the country’s military command as part of efforts to make the armed forces of NATO’s most populous European member “war-capable.”
Half of Germans support reintroducing military service
For the other half.
And for some odd reason the younger Germans are much less enthusiastic about the idea than older Germans.
Around half of German citizens are in favour of reintroducing compulsory military service, according to a survey by opinion research institute Forsa.
In the poll commissioned by German news magazine Stern, 52% of respondents were in favour of compulsory military service, the magazine said on Tuesday.
Some 43% were against it and 5% expressed no opinion. According to the data, the strongest supporters of compulsory military service were found in the over-60 age group, with 59% in favour. In contrast, 59% of 18 to 29-year-olds were against compulsory military service.
German of the day: Na also, es geht doch
That means, more or less: “Well, what do you know? It’s possible after all.”
Germany hits 2% NATO spending target for first time since end of Cold War – Germany has met a NATO alliance target to spend 2% of its gross domestic product on defence for the first time since the early 1990s, a defence ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday, as spending ramped up after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The German government is allocating the equivalent of 71.8 billion euros ($76.8 billion) for defence spending in the current year through regular and special budget outlays. However, the sum of its total defence spending is classified.
Observing Hermann 