Bundeswehr: How much money does a soldier actually earn?

School visits, advertising campaigns, events: The Bundeswehr aggressively advertises a career in the group. She urgently has to win more young recruits, because the pressure from Brussels is increasing: At a meeting, the NATO defense ministers recently agreed on new ability goals for the member states. Secretary General Mark Rutte called the decision “historically” because it is the largest upgrade program for decades.

According to Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD), the Bundeswehr needs 60,000 soldiers to achieve the new goals. According to his Ministry of March, around 182,000 men and women are currently serving in uniform.

But how attractive is the Bundeswehr actually as an employer?

The task fields in the Bundeswehr are diverse: over 1000 professions are available – also for people who do not want to become soldiers.

The following prerequisites apply for a service to the weapon: A career in the group of the teams is a school leaving certificate, but is not absolutely necessary. Major students can strive for a career as a non-commissioned officer, with completed vocational training, even a sergeant career is open to you. If you want to study with the Bundeswehr, you have to show the technical college entrance qualification or the Abitur like at a normal university.

And what about the salary?

In fact, according to the Bundeswehr, the time and professional soldiers do not receive a fee, but are paid on the basis of the Federal Salary Act (BBESG). The basic content depends both on the rank and the experience level.

Sales regulations A and B apply to soldiers, with most of them falling in A. The range ranges from the recruit in grade A3 to the colonel or captain to sea in grade A16. Group B applies to soldiers in special positions, such as generals or admirals.

Various levels of experience apply in the grade A (1 to 8). As a rule, an ascent takes place every two to four years. In the event of outstanding services, soldiers can also receive the basic content of the next higher level prematurely.

*Sized gross salary according to the Bundeswehr. The salary spans are created by different grade and experience levels. An overview for individual ranks can be found on the .

The term “Portepee” describes a higher rank in non -commissioned officers.

There are surcharges that can significantly increase the income of many soldiers. Depending on the number of children, the family surcharge can be between almost 200 and over 400 euros.

There are also allowances in special functions, such as pilots or ammunition experts. The Bundeswehr compensates for special physical or psychological stress, dangers or temporary impairments. This also includes shift work and services in nights, on weekends and public holidays.

If a soldier takes part in a mission abroad, he has an abundance of abroad. According to information from the “Bild” newspaper, this is between 48 and 145 euros per day. Accordingly, soldiers stationed abroad can also receive 1000 to 6000 euros per month. If the family has to be left behind, there is also a separation allowance.

After the end of their service in the Bundeswehr, soldiers are insured in the statutory pension insurance for temporary insurance; The federal government takes over the contributions based on the income during the service. Professional soldiers, on the other hand, receive a pension according to the Soldier Pension Act (SVG). This can be up to 71.75 percent of the retirement capable. The amount of the pension depends on the individual service and the last salary.

The Bundeswehr also attracts prospective military service with free rail tickets-if you wear your uniform on the trip. But there are also disadvantages. Like civil servants, soldiers, for example, do without the right to go on strike in Germany. And the duration of the uniform carriers can be several years or even more than a decade depending on the career.

For the first time since 2016, the group is currently on growth course. The Bundeswehr announced this at the end of April. This increase is due to more voluntary military service (FWDL). The number of professional soldiers, on the other hand, only increases slightly, and the number of time soldiers stagnates.

Discussions about reintroduction of military service are getting louder in federal politics. Defense Minister Pistorius is currently against it and (still) relies on voluntariness. His reason: A military service is “nothing at all because we have neither the capacities in the barracks nor in training. That is why these capacities have to grow up.” So there is still a lot of work in front of him and the government to achieve the NATO goals.