Rampant abuse undermining German army recruitment – report

An annual assessment has documented widespread hazing and misconduct as the Bundeswehr struggles to meet personnel targets

Widespread abuse and hazing among soldiers are undermining Germany’s armed forces as the Bundeswehr struggles to meet personnel targets and attract recruits, a new report has suggested.

The annual assessment by Germany’s Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces, Henning Otte, released on Tuesday, describes cases of excessive harshness and mistreatment during training, stating that recruits are regularly humiliated or have their “physical integrity violated,” sometimes under the influence of alcohol.

The report details cases in which recruits “pushed a comrade’s head into a toilet bowl and flushed,” or beat another soldier while he was in bed before dousing him with water. In another incident, a reserve officer ordered a subordinate soldier to lie in a 10cm-deep puddle for 90 minutes at temperatures of 7C during an exercise.

The report states that in 2024, over 23% soldiers who enlisted revoked their commitment within the six-month probationary period.

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It also notes that female soldiers report “sexist behavior or discriminatory remarks” in their daily service. According to Der Spiegel, the share of women rose minimally to 13.71% last year from 13.62% in 2024, while the legal target is 20% outside the medical corps.

The findings come amid investigations into elite German army units. Parachute Regiment 26 is being probed over accusations of a misogynistic climate, abuse, bullying, Nazi salutes, and drug use, while Airborne Brigade 1 and the Rapid Forces Division face investigations following complaints from female soldiers.

Germany has been pursuing a major recruitment drive. The country suspended mandatory conscription in 2011, reducing the Bundeswehr from around 255,000 to 185,000 soldiers and transitioning to a professional volunteer force.

The German government, however, cited an alleged Russian threat throughout 2025 to justify plans to increase personnel from the current 186,000 to 260,000 active soldiers and another 200,000 reservists by the mid-2030s.

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In the report, Otte expresses clear doubts about whether the planned expansion can be achieved without a return to mandatory conscription. Should the volunteer model “not generate sufficient growth, a return to mandatory military service is the logical next step,” he writes.

Moscow has long dismissed claims that Russia poses a threat to European countries as “nonsense” used to justify higher military spending.