World News for Students of English

18-08-2026 07:00

Germany wants to grow its military because of security worries in Europe. The government needs 80,000 new soldiers, so it is spending millions of dollars on advertisements to invite young people to join.

Officials sent hundreds of thousands of letters to teenagers to check their fitness and interest in fighting. But very few young men want to join the army. Many teenagers say they prefer to study and don’t want to fight for the military. Almost 6,000 young Germans officially refused to serve as soldiers this year, which is a big increase from past years. Students are also organizing protests against army plans in schools and streets.

Although most adults support spending money on defense, finding enough young people who are willing to become soldiers remains a big problem for Germany.

Difficult words: refuse (to say clearly that you will not do or accept something), defense (actions, weapons, or systems used to protect a country or person from an attack), willing (ready or happy to do something).

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