The Bundeswehr has recorded its highest number of soldiers in 13 years. As of the reporting date of 31 July, the German armed forces had grown to around 186,700 soldiers, the Federal Ministry of Defence announced in Berlin on Monday. The strength of military personnel at mid-year therefore falls within the target corridor for personnel growth in 2026, which runs from 186,000 to 190,000.
The Bundeswehr and the federal government are building the new military service on a voluntary basis, and the aim of the new military service law is to increase the number of active Bundeswehr soldiers to between 255,000 and 270,000 by 2035.
Compared with July 2025, the number of soldiers rose by around 3,700, or more than two percent, the ministry said. The Bundeswehr also registered new record highs in applications and recruitment. The number of applications climbed by 26 percent against the same month last year to around 47,300. With roughly 15,400 new recruits, there was an increase of twelve percent year on year and a rise of 4,500 compared with the previous month.
Around 12,100 voluntary military service personnel and short-serving temporary-career soldiers are currently serving in the Bundeswehr under the New Military Service, about six percent more than a year earlier. With July proving a strong month for recruitment, total strength rose by around 1,500 soldiers compared with the previous month, the ministry added, noting that the 1st of July is one of the main entry dates for the officer career path across all branches of the armed forces and in the support organisation.
By the reporting date of 31 July, the Bundeswehr had sent out a total of around 378,000 letters this year covering the questionnaire for military registration, around 194,000 to men and around 184,000 to women and people of other genders. Within the deadline, an unchanged figure of around 96 percent of men and around four percent of women and people of other genders responded; only men are legally obliged to return the questionnaire.
Expressed interest in the Bundeswehr among those who returned the questionnaire continues to stand at around "5" on a scale of 1 to 10 for both groups, the Bundeswehr explained. Of all those who indicated interest, around 2,630 people had completed an application process by the end of July, an increase of around 35 percent compared with the previous month.
Following successful assessment, a total of 865 applicants were earmarked for a role in the Bundeswehr across all career paths, corresponding to an increase of around 33 percent compared with the previous month.
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