"We have lost contact with them", Germany cannot mobilize 1 million reservists

The German state cannot mobilize 1 million reservists in the event of war. This fact was announced by the head of the German reservist organization, Patrick Sensberg, in a reaction to the Financial Times.

Germany's ambitious plans to significantly increase the Bundeswehr's reserve forces are apparently being hampered by strict data protection regulations. The problem affects around a million potential reservists, including many former soldiers with experience in overseas missions, A2 writes.

"We've lost contact with them," Sensburg said. "It's crazy. We don't even know if they're physically fit or if they want to serve again," Sensburg was quoted as saying.

"Even if only a quarter of that million were returned, we would have achieved our goal," he added.

Since the suspension of military recruitment in 2011, there has been no reliable record of former conscripts. In addition, Germany has particularly strict data protection regulations, partly due to historical experiences from the Nazi era and the GDR. According to Sensburg, around 93,000 people who were deployed to Afghanistan cannot be contacted - a group he sees as particularly valuable for the reserve.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) has announced that the Bundeswehr should become "the strongest conventional army in Europe". Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) has also stated that the Bundeswehr should be ready for war by 2029. From that point on, NATO experts consider a Russian attack on alliance territory to be possible. The aim is therefore to have around 200,000 active soldiers (currently around 180,000) and 260,000 operational reservists by the end of the decade – compared to the current number of around 60,000.

Pistorius also wants to rely on the “reactivation” of former soldiers to achieve the planned increase. In addition, according to the Federal Government, a new model of voluntary military service is expected to train 5,000 young people per year. However, this contribution is far from sufficient to meet the personnel objectives.

The Reserves Association therefore plays a crucial role. It represents not only former professional soldiers and conscripts, but also civilian reservists. According to Sensburg, it is responsible for the care of a total of ten million people with military experience - of whom about nine million are over 65, which makes their recruitment impossible. (A2 Televizion)