Challenges in the Recruitment of Professional Soldiers in Europe

After switching to an all-volunteer force there were significant problems in recruiting enough and capable personnel for the military in the U.S. With an enormous effort these problems have been solved for a while in the States. But in the last years - with the commitments in different operations abroad and the changing values in civil society - the recruitment is less successful and it is more and more difficult filling all positions. The problem of recruiting people of the right quality seems to be more or less universal and is not just a problem in the U.S. In Europe the militaries face difficulties in the recruitment and retention of military personnel too. The reasons are multifaceted: The new pressure seems to be generated from changed values in civil society. Interest and motivation to join the military is declining, especially among young people. The competition between the private market and the military is increasing because of higher educational level of the young generation and a low unemployment rate. Against this background, this paper discusses the success and challenges in the recruitment of professional military personnel in Europe. The main question of this paper is how the military can recruit personnel in sufficient numbers and of sufficient quality. The data is based on expert questionnaires, which were sent to scientists and military personal all over Europe. Additionally, expert interviews have been conducted in Belgium, Slovenia, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.