The German Armed Forces, which the government wants to transform into the strongest conventional army in Europe, grew by 42,000 troops between January 2025 and the end of August this year, today the German Minister of Defense announced.
© Morris MacMatzen/Getty Images
23/09/2026
by
Lusa
“Jin 2025 we recruited about 25,000 new military personnel, an unprecedented number since the suspension of compulsory military service,” said Boris Pistorius, stressing that the incorporations in the German Armed Forces have an upward trend.
Between January and the end of August 2026, the new incorporations already totaled 17,000, reported to the Efe agency.
This August figure represents an increase of 13% compared to the same month of the previous year, according to Pistorius.
“Our work is bearing fruit and is valued by our partners in Europe and across the Atlantic. This was reaffirmed several times last week, during my visit to the United States,” Pistorius said.
The German Defense Minister was in the United States last week, where, among other activities, he visited the Pentagon to meet with his American counterpart, Pete Hegseth.
Both signed a declaration of intent expressing their countries' desire to deepen cooperation in the military industry, the central point of the document agreed by both.
The government led by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz aims to transform the German army into the strongest conventional armed forces in Europe, composed of 460,000 military personnel, by the middle of the next decade.