German military too top-heavy, warns commissioner

Germany's military is too top-heavy, the parliamentary commissioner for the armed forces warned in an annual report.

Henning Otte said the Bundeswehr currently has "almost one officer for every enlisted soldier," with enlisted personnel forming just 29.3% of staff.

Some 21.6% of Bundeswehr personnel are officers and 49.1% are non-commissioned officers.

"It is questionable whether the tasks of national and alliance defence can really be performed sustainably with such a top-heavy structure," Otte wrote in his report, which was presented in Berlin.

In Otte's assessment, personnel and recruitment remain the central challenges for the Bundeswehr in further strengthening its military capabilities.

"Without a consistent and sustainable personnel strategy, there is a risk of a discrepancy between political ambitions and military reality," the commissioner wrote.

Germany's military is spending heavily to rearm in the face of the threat from Russia, while seeking to boost recruitment numbers.

Last year, Chancellor Friedrich Merz's government passed a law to restore military service in a voluntary capacity.