Defence - Bundeswehr recruits Thousands of Minors
The Federal Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) recruited a total of 7,681 minors under the age of 18 in the past five years. This information was obtained from a response by the Federal Ministry of Defense to a query by the Left Party faction in the German Parliament. The highest number of recruits under 18 was recorded last year with 1,996, compared to 1,773 the previous year. According to Bundeswehr data, a total of 18,800 soldiers were enlisted.
17-Year-Olds cannot be deployed
A voluntary service in the Bundeswehr is allowed with the consent of parents from the age of 17. If interested individuals had to wait until the start of their training until they turned 18, they would be at a disadvantage compared to their peers entering the workforce in the civilian sector, according to the Bundeswehr. Seventeen-year-old soldiers and soldiers would not be deployed in principle.
Left criticizes militarization
The number of young recruits is a cause for criticism for the education policy spokesperson for the Left Party in the Bundestag, Nicole Gohlke. "The federal government seems to have given up protecting minors from militarization completely," she told the German Press Agency in Berlin, also criticizing the presence of junior officers of the Bundeswehr in schools. "The school must be a politically neutral and safe place, and political education must be independent and age-appropriate. 'This deliberate and increasing recruitment of young people is unacceptable.'
Ministry dismisses allegations of militarization
The Defense Ministry also rejects the allegations of militarization in connection with junior officers. They also participate in discussions with militarily critical positions. "Junior officer women and men do not engage in recruitment," it says in their annual report. Responsible for this matter are the career counselors of the Bundeswehr. Junior officers should inform about military and security policy basic questions and about deployments of the Bundeswehr and come to the schools on invitation.
According to the Defense Ministry's response, there were 85 of 94 positions for junior officers filled as of mid-July this year. They gave a total of 3,460 lectures at schools and universities last year, reaching approximately 90,000 students and pupils.
- The Left Party faction in the Federal Parliament, specifically education policy spokesperson Nicole Gohlke, has expressed concern about the recruitment of minors in the Federal Armed Forces, arguing that the German government seems to have abandoned its duty to protect young people from militarization.
- The Federal Ministry of Defense, in response to criticism, claims that junior officers do not engage in recruitment and only participate in discussions with militarily critical perspectives, aiming to inform students about military and security policy basics.
- In Berlin, Germany, the Federal Parliament, also known as the Federal Parliament (Bundestag), is where queries about the recruitment of minors in the Federal Armed Forces are brought up, such as the one made by the Left Party faction.
- The Federal Ministry of Defense recently reported that a total of 85 out of 94 positions for junior officers were filled as of mid-July this year, indicating a significant presence of the Federal military in German schools and universities.
