It is quite possible that soon foreigners will go to serve in the Bundeswehr
According to the newspaper Augsburger Allgemeine, the top leadership of the German army is actively considering the possibility of recruiting foreigners to serve in the ranks of the Bundeswehr. The option of taking citizens of foreign EU member states into service appeared in the Bundeswehr's "White Paper," last published in 2016 after a ten-year hiatus.
The "White Paper" is usually understood as an official document for a wide range of readers, containing in general terms the directions of development in any sphere of activity of the state or department; the name refers to the traditional color of the cover. Currently, the Bundeswehr is developing a new strategy in the field of personnel management, and one of its nuances may well be the idea presented two years ago of attracting European foreigners. Theoretically, the issue of granting German citizenship to service members could be considered: those who are ready to give their lives for the country deserve its passport.
"The Bundeswehr will increase its numbers. We need qualified personnel. In our search for them, we are carefully considering all available opportunities," representatives of the German Ministry of Defense said rather vaguely in response to a specific inquiry from the publication Augsburger Allgemeine about the prospects of expanding the Bundeswehr with EU citizens. The information found a lively response, resulting in a discussion about the possibility of foreigners serving in the ranks of the German army.
This idea itself is politically explosive. The law of the Federal Republic on military service contains an indication of the special bond of the soldier and loyalty to the Fatherland, the prerequisite for which is German citizenship. Already two years ago, the "White Paper," written under the dictation of Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, drew severe criticism precisely on the "national" issue, including from the professional association of German military personnel, the Deutscher Bundeswehrverband.
Many representatives of the conservative political spectrum, citing new European realities, have nothing against the idea of attracting persons with citizenship of an EU country to the German army. Representatives of the Social Democratic Party also do not consider the idea reprehensible, also under the condition of exclusively European representation as a symbol of continental unity without the possibility of turning the conclusion of an army contract into "citizenship trading."
Inviting foreigners in exchange for a promise of citizenship risks turning the Bundeswehr into an army of mercenaries, fears SPD defense policy expert in the Bundestag Karl-Heinz Brunner, pointing out that for him, expanding the army ranks with EU citizens would not be a surprise. Politicians see no obstacles to the service of German citizens with an immigration background: anyone who already has a German passport and can pass the necessary selection will be one of their own in the German army.
In recent years, the Bundeswehr has been experiencing a serious shortage of qualified personnel: especially in a period of favorable economic conditions, rising wages, and a favorable labor market situation, the army, like any state structure, finds it increasingly difficult to recruit personnel. The abolition of compulsory military service in 2011 and the transition of the Bundeswehr to a professional basis exacerbated the problem. There are no longer conscripts who later became contract soldiers; the army seeks ready-made specialists and young recruits, competing with all other commercial and state structures. Previously, generals had a quarter of a million conscripts at their disposal each year; now they have to be sought.
According to a sociological survey conducted in 2017 by the Center for Military History of the Bundeswehr (Zentrum für Militärgeschichte der Bundeswehr), four out of five residents of Germany have a positive attitude towards the German army. At the same time, there is no excess of those wishing to serve in it. Currently, the Bundeswehr's personnel strength is 180,000 soldiers and officers, with a planned increase to 200,000. As of 2016, one foreign citizen served in the ranks of the German army: a military doctor with Romanian citizenship.
As noted in a publication by "Russkaya Germaniya", in Europe, legislation fundamentally allows the recruitment of foreign citizens for military service in Belgium, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Luxembourg, and Cyprus, with certain restrictions for citizens of some states.