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full screen German soldiers at an exercise in Lithuania in April this year. Photo: Mindaugas Kulbis/AP/TT
The percentage of women in the German military is currently just over 13 percent. There are too few, believes the country’s defense commissioner.
– We cannot continue as before, says Eva Högl.
Women have been able to apply for the German military since 2001. However, the number of women is still small and the women who are in the military rarely reach leading positions.
Since 2001, the number of female soldiers has risen to about 24,300, according to a Defense Department spokesperson.
The percentage of women in senior positions in the military is still small, around 2 percent. But maybe they can be more.
– Last year, around 17 percent of the applications received came from women. We are very happy about this and it shows that we are an attractive employer for the female soldiers, says the spokesperson to the media company RND.
Eva Högl, the Bundestag’s special commissioner for defence, is critical.
– The Bundeswehr (the German military) is failing to achieve the goals it has set for itself, and has been doing so for years. A quota of 20 percent is statutory, she says.