The shortage of military personnel in the armed forces of many NATO member states is worsening, and the problem is no longer recruiting new soldiers: it complicates the establishment of existing troops so that they do not leave their military careers.
The fact repeats itself in many European countries. In France, the armed forces minister this week presented a talent retention program to encourage soldiers to continue serving.
The proposal comes days after an annual government report presented to the German parliament showed that a total of 1,573 soldiers left the German armed forces last year: there are now 181,514 personnel.
“These discussions are now in all capitals and in all democracies with professional armies without conscription,” said French Minister Sébastien Lecornu, referring to NATO allies the United Kingdom and the United States.
“At NATO meetings we may talk about military equipment, but now we are also talking about retention [de soldados]”, he said, as quoted by Politico.
The topic takes on even greater relevance in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has been ongoing for more than two years. There are countries that have already considered 'radical' measures such as withdrawing compulsory military service. Croatia is analyzing the hypothesis and Denmark wants to expand it to include women.
Germany, which abolished conscription in 2011, has seen an aging armed force, which is why there is now renewed debate about reintroducing conscription at the national level.
According to data from several countries, the average length of time military personnel are on duty in France has 'shrunk' by a year. In the United Kingdom, there is a shortage of 1,100 players a year, and even the use of private companies does not meet the demand.
In Poland, the government announced around 30% salary increases for the military in an effort to retain troops. A soldier's monthly minimum goes from 4960 zlotys (1150 euros) to 6000 zlotys (1387 euros).
For its part, the French government introduced other types of benefits, such as support for housing and access to health and childcare. It also began allowing couples working in the Ministry of Armed Forces to transfer posts together, even if one is a civilian.
“I would prefer fewer recruits to improve retention rather than going on a recruitment wave where the number of people in demand continues to decline”, Lecornu highlighted.