The German army is struggling to get Gen Z recruits “

As a Podcaster and Freeelse journalist, Ole Nimoon admits that he enjoys freedom of expression and other democratic rights in the home country.

But he wouldn’t want to die for them.

In a book published this week, Why I never fight for my countryThe 27-year-old guy claims that ordinary people cannot be battled on behalf of nation-states and their leadership to fight off the invasion. A foreign state can lead to a “shit” life, he said Financial Times. “But I would get better than dead.”

Nymoen, self -attributed Marxist, does not claim that they represent the generation z in Germany. But his position – and his amazing honesty with this Europe is as it is being rehabilitated on a scale not seen from the end of the Cold War.

Berlin poured about 100 billion euros into new Bundeswehr equipment, German armed forces since then Russian invasion of Ukraine In 2022. Chancellor Awaiting Friedrich Merz announced plans to allow unlimited borrowing Fund Costs on Defense As he promised to do “all he needs” to protect freedom and peace in Europe.

But although these funds help connect the gaps in weapons and equipment, one of the biggest problems that remain is workforce.

This week the German Armed Forces Commissioner Eva Hylov prevent The country was not closer to its goal – by 2031, 203,000 active troops, since the total size of the armed forces slightly decreased last year, partly with a large number of cases. A quarter of 18,810 men and women who signed up in 2023 left the armed forces for six months.

‘This development should be stopped and turned over as urgency,” said Hyon.

Bundeswehr spokeswoman said FT that the military took steps to try to stop the outflow of young recruits, including the notification period to avoid “last minute,”.

But one senior army commander said that Generation Z members – a well -known business in the world of corporate culture, were also included in the armed forces with different ideas and views. “People are vulnerable, they are easily crying,” he said. “They talk about the balance of work and life.”

“I understand it,” the commander added. “They have grown at another time. This is a good prospect. But it is not so good for a wartime.”

As Europe was again considered to be the fear of aggressive Russia, the continent’s political and military leaders dramatically strengthened their language that they were expecting from the public.

Last year, Senior General of the UK, Sir Patrick Sanders, told the British people that they were involved in the “previous generation”, which may have to prepare for joining the battle. In Germany, whose 1949 Constitution includes commitment to the promotion of global peace, last year, Defense Minister Boris Pistaria caused shock, announcing that the nation should be “ready for war”.

The warnings have escalated since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January and began to push Ukraine to agree to ceasefire, as well as threatening the US security guarantees for Europe. Last week, Donald Tusk, the Polish Prime Minister, said his country is preparing a “large-scale military training for every adult man.”

Germany did not go so far. Leading officials of the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats, both parties that can create the next government, excluded the revival of traditional conscription. Merz promotes the Year of the National Service, which would offer military and non -military options.

However, the question remains to what extent the population in Europe is ready to accept calls to join the armed forces in much larger number.

Sofia Besh, a senior employee of Washington, based in Carnegie, said that although the perception of the threat among the European public changed rapidly, “the next step (which governments ask citizens), it is a huge-I want to fight for their country, and I want my children to fight for their country.”

Besha stated that the people, including Germany, lack this deep trust and the general understanding of the threat between citizens and the government, which were faked in places such as Finland, which has been famous for their decades to prepare for the Russian attack.

Moreover, she added, in the worst case, the young Germans are most likely not asked to fight for her country, but for Latvia or another frontline nation. “We have to ask ourselves what the young Germans will fight for today. Is it Germany? Is it a European project?”

Since the full -scale invasion of Ukraine in Russia, Germany has increased in the number of conscientious objects (including both ordinary soldiers and part -time). Last year, this figure reached 2998 – compared to 200 in 2021.

Klaus Pfatter, from the German Peace Society – “United Military Company”, a group of campaigning group, stated that many of them were engaged in military service years ago before the 2011 was canceled, and then was intended as reservists. In previous years, this did not seem difficult. But today, on the current world background, “they see this decision in a completely different light,” he said.

Christian Meling, director of Europe at the Bertelsman Foundation, believes that German detachment numbers should grow from 181,000 today to 270,000 in the coming years to reach NATO goals – and fill in the blanks when American forces located in Europe go out.

This eliminates reserve forces that currently make up 60,000, but defense officials have stated that they should grow up to 260,000.

Miling said the Bundeswehr needs to dramatically improve their set companies to compete in the tough and competitive job market, and make more to upgrade the military and make it an attractive employer.

“It can’t be a mimicry where you pretend you are a modern army,” he said. “You have to do it.”

But many young Germans can simply oppose the idea of ​​subscribing. Last month’s federal elections led to two parties opposed to armed Ukraine-an alternative to Germany and Dalchik left Die Linke, almost half the vote of those between the ages of 18 and 24.

While a recent survey survey found that 58 percent of the Germans would support the return to the call, only a third of those who felt equally between the ages of 18 and 29.

Nymoen, who is a voter himself, is deeply suspicious of the European race to rethink. He said everything was very good for European leaders to sound militant, he said. “The whole point is that in the end it will be in the trenches.”

Visualization of Kit Frey Data