World News for Students of English

18-08-2026 07:00

Germany is actively working to expand its military, increase weapons production, and recruit more young soldiers amid growing European fears of potential Russian military action and shifting US security policies.

The government has launched a massive 80 million dollar recruitment campaign, using public ads, direct mail, and even free kebab wrapping paper to attract young adults. Authorities have sent out over 300,000 registration letters asking young men about their physical fitness and willingness to fight. However, these recruitment efforts are meeting strong resistance from German youth. Only 530 people have signed up so far, while nearly 6,000 individuals have registered as conscientious objectors this year to refuse military service.

Thousands of students have organized school walkouts and street protests against rearmament plans. While about 70 percent of German citizens support increasing defense spending, many young people strongly object to military service. This raises serious questions about whether the nation can successfully recruit the 80,000 additional troops it currently needs.

Difficult words: resistance (fighting or speaking out against something you do not agree with), conscientious objector (a person who officially refuses to join the military or fight in a war because of their personal moral or religious beliefs), rearmament (the process of building up a country’s supply of weapons and military forces again).

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