Why a German technician trades tools for tactical gear

DW (English)

As Germany tries to strengthen its military, it needs the help of its businesses. They employ hundreds of thousands of reserve forces, and they need to keep in training and be available when needed.

Transcript

00:00Ralf Strobl knows all about heavy machinery, like these freight trains.

00:05The 45-year-old mechanic works at a switchyard in Nuremberg

00:09and makes sure that repairs and service are running smoothly.

00:14However, twice a year the father of four switches his orange vest for camo.

00:19Strobl is in the German military's reserve forces

00:22and regularly attends training camps and seminars

00:25as part of a battalion in charge of protecting critical infrastructure.

00:32We don't currently have enough active forces,

00:36so solid backing by the reserve is needed.

00:39And that's why working in the military reserve is more important than ever before.

00:44This is about protecting the homeland and I want to do my part.

00:48And I do it because I cherish what I have and what I want to protect.

00:54So that's why I think that's important.

00:551,400 kilometers northeast, we're in Lithuania.

00:59A German tank brigade of a few thousand soldiers is helping protect NATO's eastern border.

01:05It's the first time since the end of World War II

01:08that German soldiers have been stationed abroad for a long term.

01:12But ever since Russia started its war of aggression against Ukraine,

01:16it's become clear that Germany needs more personnel within Germany and beyond its borders.

01:22Daniel Goeke is one of them.

01:24The reserve tank officer also works for Deutsche Bahn, Germany's rail provider.

01:29And he's in charge of all the reserve forces within the company.

01:33He says there's lots of them here in almost all sectors of the company.

01:37A few thousand altogether.

01:39Not least due to the fact that the Bahn actively supports its reserve force workers.

01:44By quickly granting leaves of absence, but also with positive feedback and appreciation.

01:51It's nice, of course, when your boss tells you that he appreciates you giving your free time

01:59or doing some volunteer work to protect the country.

02:02Especially in times like these, where over the last three and a half years,

02:06the political landscape in Europe has seen massive changes

02:09and the military is looked at as a part of center of society.

02:17Ralf Strobl, too, has always found it easy to get time off, even for seminars that can take up to two weeks.

02:26He knows that his colleagues are picking up his work while he's gone.

02:30It's important to have that support from an employer.

02:34Of course, for a large employer, it's probably easier to free up some people than, say, for a small company.

02:40So at Deutsche Bahn, we're having a very good situation.

02:49Across Germany, there are approximately 860,000 reserve forces.

02:54And even though the country is debating whether or not to reinstate mandatory military service,

02:59the military's top brass know that they will depend on them for years to come.

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