Germany to recruit 100,000 troops by 2029 for war with Russia: Report
Iran Press TV
Friday, 12 September 2025 7:29 AM
Germany has moved to add 100,000 active troops to its army by 2029 in an attempt to meet new NATO targets intended to prepare for a possible war with Russia, according to a report.
It is the year the US-led alliance speculates that Russia could be capable of a large-scale attack on Western allies.
The dramatic deployment of troops would more than double the current number of active-duty German soldiers, which now stands at 62,000, according to the Reuters News Agency.
"It is imperative for the army to become sufficiently ready for war by 2029 and provide the capabilities Germany pledged (to NATO) by 2035," Army Chief Alfons Mais wrote in a letter dated September 2, addressed to the chief of the defense staff, Carsten Breuer.
He also called for some 10,000 extra troops to bolster territorial defense.
The commander projected that Germany should add another 45,000 active troops by 2035 to meet NATO targets agreed upon at a summit in June and build reserves for a prolonged war, adding that these objectives were impossible with currently approved personnel levels, which also include 37,000 non-active troops.
"According to a first rough estimate, a total of around 460,000 personnel (from Germany) will be necessary, divided into some 260,000 active troops and around 200,000 reservists," a spokesperson for the Defense Ministry in Berlin said.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius in June said that Germany would need up to 60,000 additional active personnel across all military branches to meet the new NATO targets, bringing the future strength of Germany's armed forces, the Bundeswehr, to around 260,000.
However, according to ministry figures, they haven't yet achieved their 2018 goal of 203,000 troops and remain understaffed by approximately 20,000 regular personnel.
Germany has already deployed a brigade in Lithuania, set to number some 5,000 troops, and a naval patrol deployment in the Baltic to counter undersea sabotage.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz last week stated that Germany's decision to provide such guarantees will depend on the type and extent of US involvement. Addressing a meeting of the "Coalition of the Willing" last week, Merz said that Europe is ready to make a decisive contribution to any security guarantees to Ukraine once a negotiated solution is reached.
US President Donald Trump has stated the US military may provide air defense for European troops deployed to Ukraine but would not deploy ground troops of its own.
Furthermore, on Thursday, the German leader announced plans to "supercharge" Berlin's spy agency, the BND, while also citing an alleged threat from Russia.
"In Germany, we are now fending off hybrid attacks against our infrastructure on a daily basis," the chancellor claimed while speaking at the inauguration of the BND's new chief, Martin Jager.
"Rarely in the history of the Federal Republic has the security situation been so serious. The foundations of the European security architecture, which have enabled us to live in freedom, peace, and prosperity for decades, have become fragile," Merz said.
Russia has rejected any security guarantees involving the deployment of NATO troops to Ukraine and has vowed to provide security guarantees of its own.
Russian President Vladimir Putin last week warned that any foreign troops sent to Ukraine will be considered "legitimate targets" by Moscow as Western countries mull sending military forces to Ukraine.
Russia launched its "special military operation" in Donbas in February 2022 with the aim of liberating, demilitarizing, and denazifying the Russian-speaking region.
Moscow seeks to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO and opposes the use of Ukraine by the West to build pressure against Russia. Russia also demands that Kiev surrender control of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
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