Germany struggles to rally reservists amid data protection law
Data protection regulations prevent the German army from contacting nearly one million potential reservists as Berlin attempts to increase the size of its armed forces, reported the "Financial Times," citing the reservists' organisation VdRBw.
- We have lost their contacts. It’s crazy - said Patrick Sensburg, head of the Association of Reservists of the German Armed Forces (VdRBw), in an interview with the "FT."
When the government in Berlin suspended conscription in 2011, the army stopped tracking the whereabouts of former conscripts, and data protection regulations limit the military's access to citizens' residential information.
Established in the early 1960s, VdRBw is funded by the defence budget, and its duties include training and communicating with reservists.
The new Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, announced that his country would play a leading role in NATO and in defending Europe against Russian aggression, and has allowed for unlimited loans for defence spending, the British daily recalled.
According to officials, the biggest challenge for the armed forces is currently the size of the military personnel. The Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, Carsten Breuer, assessed that the number of professional soldiers must increase by the end of the decade from about 180,000 to 200,000. The army also needs about 260,000 reservists, he added. Currently, there are only about 60,000.
Approximately 10 million people live in Germany who have completed military service or previously served as professional soldiers; however, up to 9 million of this group are over 65 years old. Due to data protection regulations, VdRBw cannot contact the remaining million, which includes about 93,000 individuals who served in Afghanistan.
We don’t even know how physically fit they are, if they would like to serve again - said Sensburg.
The German Defence Ministry is seeking a solution to the problem
According to him, if even 25% of this group were in sufficiently good health and willing to return to service, the target for the number of reservists could be achieved.
Sensburg emphasised that while the agency responsible for collecting television licence fees can contact citizens just a few weeks after they move, VdRBw cannot find people whose names are in the organisation's records. The Ministry of Defence is trying to find a way to reconcile data protection regulations with the requirements for replenishing the reserve forces - he said.
