Germany is aiming to create the most powerful army in Europe by annually increasing the number of trained reservists through a volunteer-based system.
The FT reports that by the end of August, the German government will be presented with a draft law supporting this initiative. The proposed legislation includes a €2,000 payment for voluntarily completing military training. Upon completion, individuals will automatically be registered as reservists.
Future reservists will also have the opportunity to take language courses and obtain a driver’s license during the training. The initial program duration is six months but can be extended voluntarily.
The Bundeswehr (German armed forces) aims to recruit about 15,000 reservists in 2025 and plans to increase that number by 3,000 to 5,000 annually. German officials hope a significant portion of young people who complete the training will decide to pursue careers as professional soldiers. Currently, Germany has around 182,000 professional service members, and Berlin hopes to expand that number to 260,000 in the future.
For comparison, that France plans to increase its reservist force from 40,000 to 100,000 in the near future.