Over the past five years, 7,681 17-year-olds have been recruited into the German armed forces, the Defense Ministry said Thursday in response to a report from the parliamentary group Die Linke (The Left).
As for minors under 18, 7,681 young people have been recruited over the past five years, with 1,996 voluntary recruitments of “minors” recorded in 2023, up from 1,773 in 2022.
According to the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr), a total of 18,800 companies were registered last year.
Voluntary service in the German Armed Forces is permitted from the age of 17 with parental consent.
The Armed Forces explained that if interested parties wait until age 18 to begin military training, they will be at a disadvantage compared to civilians of the same age who are starting to learn a profession.
Die Linke parliamentary spokesperson for education policy Nicole Gohlke today criticised the recruitment practices, saying “the government appears to have given up on protecting minors from militarisation”.
According to the German news agency DPA, Gohlke added that such “deliberate recruitment of young people is unacceptable.”
On the other hand, he criticized the presentations of military personnel in educational institutions about the Armed Forces, stressing that German schools should be “politically neutral places where political education should be independent and age-appropriate.”
The Ministry of Defence denies accusations that it is promoting militarisation by introducing the Armed Forces to schools.
“(Military) officers in the youth sphere do not recruit young people,” the Ministry of Defense points out, explaining that “only informational meetings are held” on general issues of military policy and security regarding the tasks of the Armed Forces.
The Ministry of Defense also says that the presentations are held at the invitation of the educational institutions themselves.
Last year, 3,460 lectures were held in German schools and universities, with a total of 90,000 students taking part.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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