German rearmament: only 530 recruits in 2026, a major failure

Germany wants 40,000 soldiers, gets 530: rearmament is crashing into its youth

Who would want to enlist to defend a country that, according to an increasingly widespread current of opinion, no longer belongs to its citizens? The question is not rhetorical: recruitment figures in Germany have fallen to laughable levels. Voluntary military service was introduced in 2020 and, until 2024, achieved around 8,000 enlistments a year. In 2025, with the propaganda of the "new era of defence", it rose to 15,000. It seemed the trend was holding. But then 2026 arrived.

The counterproductive effect of the "compulsory annual reserve"

In early 2026, the government of Friedrich Merz – a former BlackRock executive, as is often pointed out – announced that those who enlisted would have to serve one compulsory month per year until the age of 45. The result was immediate: in the first five months of the year, only 530 people have volunteered. The annual target is 40,000. Compared with the 15,000 of the previous year, the figure suggests the measure has destroyed any incentive. As one analysis points out, the move has turned enlistment into a decades-long commitment that scares off even the most patriotic.

Conscientious objection soars while the big promises sink

At the same time, applications for conscientious objection are growing at a rate that has surprised the authorities themselves. The propaganda campaign launched to boost rearmament seems to have had the opposite effect. Meanwhile, Germany's flagship defence programmes, such as the FCAS fighter jet and the F126 frigates, are wobbling: in less than a month, Berlin has seen two of its biggest military projects put at risk. The equation is simple: soldiers are needed to operate the weaponry, but nobody wants to wield it.

Why are young Germans saying no?

The explanations are many, but they all converge on a deep alienation. There is talk of decades of pacifist indoctrination, of a society that has prioritised individual wellbeing and quality of life over patriotic sacrifice. There is also the perception that Germany no longer "belongs to the Germans": immigration, gender policies and the loss of national identity have eroded the concept of homeland. As has been noted, "there is nothing to defend if what is being defended is a degenerate order". And to make matters worse, the suspicion that rearmament serves outside interests – mainly those of the United States and funds like BlackRock – undermines any call for unity. "Dying for BlackRock" is a recurring phrase.

The outlook: discriminatory compulsory military service?

With these figures, the reintroduction of compulsory military service seems imminent. But it will not be the same for everyone: women are expected to be excluded, as is already the case in Ukraine, where there are 200,000 women in the military but none on the front line. Gender discrimination, combined with the general alienation, promises to fuel social conflict. The question hanging in the air is: can you wage a war with an army of the unwilling?

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A final irony: Germany spent 80 years building a pacifist, hedonistic society, and now expects that same society to fight a cold war against Russia. The result is plain to see: 530 volunteers. Someone should explain to Merz that citizens do not want to die for BlackRock's interests.