https://www.reddit.com/r/europe/comments/1jbpw1i/german_army_struggles_to_get_gen_z_recruits_ready/
From the article:
As a podcaster and freelance journalist, Ole Nymoen admits he enjoys freedom of expression and other democratic rights in his home country of Germany.
But he would not want to die for them.
In a book published this week, ✨Why I Would Never Fight for My Country✨, the 27-year-old argues ordinary people should not be sent into battle on behalf of nation states and their rulers — even to fend off an invasion. Occupation by a foreign power might lead to a “shitty” life, he told the Financial Times. “But I’d rather be occupied than dead.”
Nymoen, a self-described Marxist 🤣, does not claim to be representative of Generation Z in Germany. But his stance — and his striking honesty about it — taps into a wider questions facing Europe as it re-arms on a scale not seen since the end of the cold war.
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Germany’s armed forces commissioner, Eva Högl, this week warned the country was not closer to its goal of having 203,000 active troops by 2031, as the overall size of the armed forces slightly declined last year, partly because of a high number of dropouts. A quarter of the 18,810 men and women who signed up in 2023 left the armed forces within six months.
“This development must be stopped and reversed as a matter of urgency,” Högl said.
A Bundeswehr spokesperson told the FT the military had taken steps to try to stem the outflow of young recruits, including a notice period to avoid “last-minute, emotional” decisions.
But one senior army commander said members of Generation Z — renowned in the business world for their efforts to reshape corporate culture — were also going into the armed forces with different ideas and outlooks. “People are vulnerable, they cry easily,” he said. “They talk about work-life balance.” 🧘♂️
“I understand that,” the commander added. “They grew up in a different time. It’s not a bad perspective. But it doesn’t match that well with a wartime situation.”
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Are you prepared to discuss work life balance with Sgt during the Russia attack? Sir the conditions are unacceptable, WiFi signal is too weak for TikTok and where is my Yerba mate meditation break? 🧘♂️🧉
Bread and circuses. He an idiot.