Germany is weighing the possibility of allowing foreigners to join its armed forces as it looks to increase its military strength in light of threats from Russia.
"We would not be the first armed forces in Europe to do that," Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told the German newspaper Tagesspiegel, while confirming the idea was being considered by the government.
His comments in Tagesspiegel were detailed in a report by The Telegraph.
German law mandates that only German citizens can serve in the country's armed forces. However, in certain special cases foreigners are permitted to join, according to The Telegraph, which attributed the information to the German tabloid Bild.
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Germany has made defense spending a priority, which had been neglected for the most part since the conclusion of the Cold War.
The increase in spending includes boosting the number of troops from the current 180,000 to more than 200,000 by 2031, but the country faces difficulties in attracting enough recruits to reach that goal.
Pistorius has warned that Russia could attack the NATO military alliance in less than a decade.
"We hear threats from the Kremlin almost every day ... so we have to take into account that Vladimir Putin might even attack a NATO country one day," told Tagesspiegel, according to Politico.
A Russian attack is not likely "for now," he said: "Our experts expect a period of five to eight years in which this could be possible."
The Telegraph noted Germany would not be the first EU country to permit foreigners to join the military. Presently, Denmark allows foreigners to enlist if they have a work or residence permit. Spain and Slovakia permit foreigners into the army if they meet certain conditions.
And men, aged 17-40, can join the French Foreign Legion.
Meanwhile, only U.K. and Commonwealth citizens can serve in Britain's armed forces.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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