German army struggles for fresh recruits as conscription threat grows
The main event took place Sunday next to the parliament in Berlin, with the armed forces, known as the Bundeswehr, setting up booths, as well as a free outdoor concert, food trucks and games for children.
Due to pacifist traditions stemming from its dark World War II history, Germany has generally been reluctant to honour the military so publicly.
But attitudes are changing since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, prompting Berlin to launch a drive to overhaul its long-neglected armed forces.
Doubts about US commitment to Europe's security under President Donald Trump are also adding impetus to the efforts.
Nowadays there is "more encouragement for us soldiers" from the public, Maik Mutschke, a 39-year-old former soldier who was severely injured in Afghanistan in 2010, told AFP at the event.
"Twenty years ago, wearing a uniform was frowned upon," said Jens Ruths, who lost the use of a leg after stepping on a mine in Kosovo in 1999.
But now, "taxi drivers and people we meet on the street thank us more than before," said the 47-year-old.
Modelled after the American tradition, the first ever German "Veterans Day" was dedicated to active-duty soldiers as well as true veterans, with some 130 events held nationwide.
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Regional daily the Koelner Stadt-Anzeiger, based in the western city of Cologne, said the event would "usher in a new era" as Germany "discovers its army".
This sentiment was echoed at the Berlin event, where Petra Muhl, a 46-year-old former soldier, said Germans were increasingly worried that "war is getting closer", following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
"People naturally realise they need an army," said Muhl.
'Struggling to recruit'
Former chancellor Olaf Scholz began the military overhaul by announcing more funds for the armed forces, which had shrunk substantially since the end of the Cold War and German reunification.
New Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who took office in May, has gone further by largely exempting defence spending from Germany's strict debt rules, and pledging to build up "the strongest conventional army in Europe".
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But the Bundeswehr -- which has a target of boosting the number of its soldiers from 181,000 currently to 203,000 by 2031 -- is struggling to recruit.
Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has upped the ante even more, saying the army will require up to 60,000 additional troops under new NATO requirements due to the Russian threat.
It is hoped that events like "Veterans Day" can "motivate people... to become reservists or enlist as soldiers", said Anna-Maria Jeremic, a 21-year-old reservist.
But some fear such efforts will not be enough, and calls are growing for a return of conscription, which was officially suspended in 2011.
Economic daily Handelsblatt recently reported that a draft law is being prepared to reinstate conscription if recruitment targets are not met.
Pistorius has not confirmed this, but did suggest in parliament last month that the recruitment drive may not remain voluntary.
The government was hoping to create a "military service that is initially based on voluntary participation and is intended to encourage young people to serve their country", he said.
"And I say quite deliberately and honestly, the emphasis is on 'initially' in case we cannot recruit enough volunteers."
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