Bundeswehr Inspector General Carsten Breuer said that Germany's armed forces must reach a state of full combat readiness by 2029.
“My biggest task at the moment is to quickly ensure the combat readiness of the troops and I must do this with all means available on the market“, Breuer told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper.
“Our goal is to be ready by 2029“, he stressed. The inspector general noted again that the German army currently has a shortage of about 100,000 soldiers.
Breuer explained that the goal remains to increase the size of the Bundeswehr to about 200,000 active soldiers. According to him, a permanent reserve of 60,000 people has now been formed. “And I expect that from these 800,000 former soldiers who have retired over the years, another 100,000 reservists will come. So there remains a gap of 100,000 people that we have to fill”, he said.
Breuer justified the need to bring the German armed forces to a state of full combat readiness by 2029 with the threat coming from Russia.