The German armed forces, the Bundeswehr, are on track with their planned personnel expansion. As of 31 August 2026, around 186,400 active soldiers were serving in the force, the Federal Ministry of Defence said in Berlin on Friday. This puts the strength of the military personnel around 4,000 soldiers above the same date last year and still within the legally defined target range for personnel growth in 2026, which is between 186,000 and 190,000.
The Bundeswehr and the federal government are relying on voluntary participation under the new military service system. 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 the end of 2025, which saw the highest level of personnel recruitment, the number of military personnel increased by more than 2,200 soldiers. However, compared with July, which is traditionally a strong month for recruitment, the figure fell by around 300. According to the ministry, an above-average number of voluntary military service personnel typically leave the Bundeswehr in August to begin vocational training or university studies.
“We continue to expect personnel recruitment numbers to rise through the end of the year and will be clearly within the growth corridor by the end of the year,” the Federal Ministry of Defence said.
The ministry also said that interest in the Bundeswehr as an employer remained high. As of 31 August, around 85,000 initial consultations had taken place. The resulting applications, at around 53,100, were 28 percent higher than the previous year, while around 17,000 people had been recruited, an increase of 13 percent compared with the previous year.
As of 31 August, around 85,000 initial consultations had taken place, according to the ministry. The resulting applications, at around 53,100, were 28 percent higher than the previous year, while around 17,000 people had been recruited, an increase of 13 percent compared with the previous year.
By the end of August, the ministry said that more than 451,400 military registration questionnaires had been sent out. Around 231,700 were sent to men and around 219,700 to women and people of other genders. Within the required deadline, around 96 percent of men responded, compared with around 3.5 percent of women and people of other genders.
By the end of August, around 3,400 people interested in joining the Bundeswehr had completed an assessment. Following successful completion of the assessment, a total of 1,155 applicants were scheduled for positions in the Bundeswehr across all career paths. Of these, just under 1,000 assignments are planned for 2026, while the remaining assignments are for 2027.
The Bundeswehr continues to give priority to contacting people who indicated their interest in the questionnaire. In addition, in accordance with the legal requirements, the medical examination and selection process, known as Musterung, for those liable for military service from the 2008 birth cohort has begun. So far, almost 1,000 18-year-old men who had not expressed an interest have undergone the Musterung process as part of military registration.
At present, around 11,400 voluntary military service personnel and short-serving temporary soldiers are serving in the Bundeswehr under the new military service system. That represents an increase of around six percent compared with the previous year.
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