Recruit shortage
NZPA-Reuter Ingolstadt West Germany may have to call up foreign residents and seek women volunteers for military service to meet an expected shortage of recruits, the country’s armed forces chief has said. Inspector-General Juergen Brandt, top military commander of the armed' forces, said that likely population trends in the late 1980 s meant conscripts would have to serve at least 18 months instead of 15 months at present. West Germany’s armed forces are the second largest in Western Europe after those of France, which total nearly 505,000. Only 60 women serve in the West German armed forces in uniform as doctors and veterinarians, compared with 15,000 Frenchwomen in military service. The West German Constitution bars women from carrying arms in the armed forces although the idea of employing them in non-com-batant roles has been under study for some time. The Defence Minister (Mr Hans Apel) prompted a storm of protest from women's organisations when he broached the idea more than two years ago and General Brandt’s speech seemed likely to cause renewed controversy.
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Press, 28 October 1981, Page 9
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175Recruit shortage Press, 28 October 1981, Page 9
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