Berlin wants to increase number of annual recruits to 40,000 within six years The German Defense Ministry wants 40,000 new recruits a year by 2031, Der Tagesspiegel reported on Thursday, citing informed sources. Teenagers may be called up to serve if volunteers cannot fill the gap, the newspaper said. Sources in the ministry told the outlet that the initial aim would be to boost the number of volunteers for the army reserves starting next year. If contract soldiers are not enough to fill the