The number of underage recruits in the German Bundeswehr has reached a record high in 2024. Out of the total 20,284 new recruits in the past year, 2,203 were 17 years old or younger, which accounts for a proportion of 10.9%. This is the highest rate since the data was first recorded in 2011, surpassing the previous high of 1,996 underage recruits in 2023, which was 10.6% of all new recruits at the time. Among the 2,203 underage recruits, 1,882 were male and 321 were female.
Of the underage recruits, 1,252 were performing voluntary military service, 895 were conscripted for a limited time and 56 were serving in the home defense as voluntary military service personnel. As of December 31, 2024, the Bundeswehr employed a total of 262,813 people, of whom 1,666 were underage.
Ralf Willinger, a representative of the children’s rights organization Terre des Hommes and the campaign “Under 18 never – No Minors in the Bundeswehr”, stated that the Bundeswehr has never recruited more minors as soldiers as it did last year. Many of them will suffer severe harm: in 2023, 15 minor soldiers were victims of sexual violence, 35 were in accidents and many more experienced psychological trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder. It is shocking that Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) and the government continue this “violation of international law” practice. The next government must change this.
The Bundestag member Zaklin Nastic, who had submitted the written question to the government, demands an end to the current regulation: “It is not surprising that the number of minors in the Bundeswehr has reached a record high under Defense Minister Pistorius, as the minister is trying to compensate for the lack of personnel in the Bundeswehr by recruiting minors. Minors should not be used to compensate for personnel shortages in the Bundeswehr. In Germany, minors are not allowed to participate in federal elections, but they are considered adults enough for the military.”
The Defense Ministry justifies the current practice. A spokesperson told the Welt that the Bundeswehr ensures that 17-year-old soldiers do not perform tasks outside of military training that would put them in a situation where they would have to use a weapon. By the end of 2023, more than half of the new 17-year-old recruits had already reached the age of majority by the sixth month of their service. The current practice is “fully in line with the international legal commitments” and aims to prevent underage recruits from facing disadvantages in their future careers compared to their peers.