US EditionGermany’s Army Needs up to 260,000 Troops, Says Top Military Unionist
- Andre Wuestner, head of the German Armed Forces Association, announced on Friday that the Bundeswehr needs to increase its troop strength from 180,000 to 260,000 soldiers.
- This increase responds to evolving NATO requirements and the security threat posed by Russia, surpassing the original 2025 target of 203,300 soldiers set before the pandemic.
- Wuestner explained the active force would grow gradually with an additional 40,000 to 60,000 soldiers needed, alongside developing a capable reserve to reach a 460,000 total force size.
- Germany, under newly appointed Chancellor Friedrich Merz, eased its debt brake in March to increase defense spending, which last year met NATO’s 2% of GDP threshold at 2.12%.
- The planned troop expansion and spending hike reflect Germany’s efforts to modernize its military ahead of a key NATO summit that will reassess alliance defense postures amid the Ukraine war.
16 Articles
16 Articles
The German army is to grow up to 260,000 soldiers, demands the head of the Bundeswehr-Verband. For this also voluntaryness must be dispensed with in case of necessity.
The chairman of the German Armed Forces Association, Wüstner, spoke out in favour of an increase of the troops from around 180,000 soldiers to up to 260,000.
This was stated by the retired Bundeswehr general and chairman of the Berlin Security Conference Reinhard Wolski in an interview with the host of the program “Studio West” Anton Borkovsky on the Espreso TV channel. He answered how it is possible to strengthen the personnel composition of troops in Ukraine. The most important thing is to convince young people who are capable of fighting that they are fighting for justice, for democracy, for their…
The chief inspector of the German armed forces, Carsten Breuer, advocates a significant increase in spending on the country's defense. This follows a commentary for the news magazine Der Spiegel, which was published on Friday. This is reported by the DPA agency. “We need to become an engine of deterrence in Europe,” Breuer said. “This is clearly derived from the significant threat posed by Russia. We must arm ourselves against this danger, both …
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