Report says German military is ageing and shrinking as parties seek funding


Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces of Germany Eva Hoegl attends a news conference to present the annual “Wehrbeauftragte” report 2024 in Berlin, Germany March 11, 2025. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's military is ageing and shrinking, the parliamentary commissioner for the armed forces warned on Tuesday, against the backdrop of a bid to overhaul borrowing rules to massively boost defence spending.

In an annual report released on Tuesday, Eva Hoegl said that despite a recruitment drive launched in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, personnel numbers in the armed forces had dipped to 181,200 in 2024 from 181,540 a year prior, while the average age had risen to 34 from 32.

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