Almost a quarter more new soldiers from Saxony

Almost a quarter more soldiers joined the Bundeswehr in Saxony last year. 832 soldiers from the Free State were recruited in 2024, as the Ministry of Defense announced on request. That is around 160 more than in the previous year. Around 16.5 percent of those recruited are women.

Nationwide, the upward trend in recruitment is significantly weaker: The number rose from around 18,800 recruits in 2023 to around 20,300 - an increase of just under 8 percent. Despite the recruitment, the Bundeswehr force has shrunk slightly. At the end of 2024, there were around 181,200 soldiers, compared to around 350 more a year earlier. The proportion of women is 13.6 percent.

111 minors recruited from Saxony

The proportion of underage recruits has fallen in Saxony: 111 new soldiers were only 17 years old at the time of recruitment, which corresponds to a proportion of 13.3 percent (previous year: 14.1 percent). This puts Saxony above the national average of 10.9 percent.

The Ministry of Defense explained that applicants are only recruited at the age of 17 at the earliest and only with the consent of their legal guardians. Applicants would also have to pass a physical and psychological aptitude test.

The profession of soldier is a special one, which is why all applicants must have considered both the opportunities and risks of the service in detail. The 17-year-olds would also not take part in guard duty or foreign missions and would only use weapons for training purposes.

408 of the new soldiers from Saxony began their service as temporary soldiers. A further 411 signed up as voluntary military service conscripts and 13 as voluntary military service conscripts in homeland security.