German Military Turns to Teenagers to Boost Recruitment

Move follows Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014

German Bundeswehr armed forces recruits Marlon S. (L) and Max H. of the Mechanized Infantry Battalion 411 during a drill at a military training area in Viereck, Germany, on Aug. 8, 2018. Reuters/Fabrizio Bensch

VIERECK, Germany—When Marlon finished high school in Germany, a military career seemed far more appealing than working on a car production line.

So, a few months before he turned 18, he joined the army, becoming one of more than 10,000 minors to sign up since mandatory military service ended in 2011.