BERLIN / LONDON (IT BOLTWISE) – The Bundeswehr is faced with the challenge of making its voluntary military service more attractive in order to achieve its target strength by 2035. A recent study by the German Economic Institute highlights the importance of financial incentives and flexible entry options in attracting young people to the service. The planned increase in starting pay could be a decisive factor.
Today’s daily deals at Amazon! ˗ˋˏ$ˎˊ˗
The Bundeswehr is faced with the challenging task of designing voluntary military service in such a way that it becomes attractive to young people. A recently published study by the German Economic Institute (IW) highlights the need to set realistic expectations for the expansion of the Bundeswehr. The target strength is to be reached by 2035, which will require a significant increase in training capacity to 50,000 voluntary military service in 2029.
A central point of the study is the financial attractiveness of military service. The starting salary should increase from 1,700 euros to 2,400 euros net per month, which is above the average income of young people. For comparison: In Sweden, those doing military service only receive 400 euros net per month, supplemented by a training bonus when they leave. This increase could be a crucial incentive to attract more volunteers.
The study also emphasizes the importance of flexible entry options that allow seamless transitions into education and work. This could be particularly attractive for young people who want to combine their professional and academic goals with military service. However, extending compulsory military service to women is viewed as having little effect. Instead, the Bundeswehr should work to offer women an attractive working environment.
Another strategic point is the promotion of temporary soldiers and reservists. The study suggests linking compensation to longer years of service in order to reduce dropout rates and reduce unwanted deadweight effects. The aim is to develop sustainable military capacities that are also available in an emergency.
Looking at international experience, for example from Sweden, it is clear that expanding voluntary military service is an ambitious undertaking. Sweden plans to reach 8.1 percent of all those doing military service as early as 2026. Implementing the desired goals without reintroducing compulsory military service is described as a major effort, but it is within the realm of possibility.
Order an Amazon credit card without an annual fee with a credit limit of 2,000 euros!
Bestseller No. 1 ᵃ⤻ᶻ “KI Gadgets”
Bestseller No. 2 ᵃ⤻ᶻ “KI Gadgets”
Bestseller No. 3 ᵃ⤻ᶻ “KI Gadgets”
Bestseller No. 4 ᵃ⤻ᶻ “KI Gadgets”
Bestseller No. 5 ᵃ⤻ᶻ “KI Gadgets”
Please send any additions and information to the editorial team by email to de-info[at]it-boltwise.de. Since we cannot rule out AI hallucinations, which rarely occur with AI-generated news and content, we ask you to contact us via email and inform us in the event of false statements or misinformation. Please don’t forget to include the article headline in the email: “New incentives for voluntary military service in Germany”.