Germany Military 2023, CIA World Factbook

Federal Armed Forces (Bundeswehr): Army (Heer), Navy (Deutsche Marine, includes naval air arm), Air Force (Luftwaffe, includes air defense), Joint Support and Enabling Service (Streitkraeftebasis, SKB), Central Medical Service (Zentraler Sanitaetsdienst, ZSanDstBw), Cyber and Information Space Command (Kommando Cyber und Informationsraum, Kdo CIR) (2023)

note: responsibility for internal and border security is shared by the police forces of the 16 states, the Federal Criminal Police Office, and the Federal Police; the states’ police forces report to their respective interior ministries while the Federal Police forces report to the Federal Ministry of the Interior

Military expenditures

1.6% of GDP (2023 est.)

1.5% of GDP (2022 est.)

1.5% of GDP (2021)

1.5% of GDP (2020)

1.4% of GDP (2019)

Military and security service personnel strengths

approximately 183,000 active-duty uniformed personnel (62,000 Army; 16,000 Navy; 27,000 Air Force; 20,000 Medical Service, 14,000 Cyber and Information Space Command; 43,000 other, including central staff, support, logistics, etc.) (2023)

note: Germany in 2020 announced it planned to increase the size of the military to about 200,000 troops by 2025

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the German Federal Armed Forces inventory is comprised of weapons systems produced domestically or jointly with other European countries and Western imports, particularly from the US; in recent years, the US has been the leading foreign supplier; Germany's defense industry is capable of manufacturing the full spectrum of air, land, and naval military weapons systems, and is one of the world's leading arms exporters (2023)

Military service age and obligation

17-23 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women (must have completed compulsory full-time education and have German citizenship); conscription ended July 2011; service obligation 7-23 months or 12 years; in July 2020, the government launched a new voluntary conscript initiative focused on homeland security tasks; volunteers serve for 7 months plus 5 months as reservists over a 6 year period (2023)

note: women have been eligible for voluntary service in all military branches and positions since 2001 and account for about 12% of the German military

Military deployments

up to 500 Iraq (NATO); up to 1,400 Lithuania (NATO); approximately 1,100 Mali (MINUSMA/EUTM); 280 Slovakia (NATO) (2023)

note 1: in November 2022, Germany pledged to withdraw its troops from Mali by Spring 2024

note 2: in response to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, some NATO countries, including Germany, have sent additional troops and equipment to the battlegroups deployed in NATO territory in eastern Europe

Military - note

the Federal Republic of Germany joined NATO in May 1955; with the reunification of Germany in October 1990, the states of the former German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany in its membership of NATO

the German Army has incorporated a joint Franco-German mechanized infantry brigade since 1989, a Dutch airmobile infantry brigade since 2014, and a Dutch mechanized infantry brigade since 2016; in addition, the German Navy’s Sea Battalion (includes marine infantry, naval divers, reconnaissance, and security forces) has worked closely with the Dutch Marine Corps since 2016, including as a binational amphibious landing group (2023)

NOTE: The information regarding Germany on this page is re-published from the 2023 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Germany 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Germany 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.