A new study by the Bundeswehr's Centre for Military History and Social Sciences finds that 72 percent of female soldiers experienced verbal sexual harassment during their service.
The first comprehensive study of its kind, released this week, surveyed 45,000 current and former members of the armed forces. Only 18 percent responded, but the ministry said its analysis showed the results were representative.
Nearly 40 percent of the roughly 4,000 women who responded said they had been subjected to suggestive comments and sexualized remarks. Fifteen percent reported harassment through mobile phone pictures taken against their will, in some cases altered using artificial intelligence. Just over 8 percent said they had been physically attacked, and 2 percent reported sexual violence.
The problem is not limited to women. Around 19 percent of male soldiers reported similar experiences, with non-binary and gay soldiers disproportionately affected. Perpetrators were men in at least 96 percent of cases.
Younger women in lower ranks were most frequently affected, the study found. Combat units did not differ statistically from the rest of the armed forces.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius called the figures "unacceptable," particularly as the military tries to increase its numbers. The Bundeswehr aims for 260,000 active-duty troops and 200,000 reservists by 2035.
Pistorius said he had been advised by colleagues to abandon the study over fears it would damage the military's reputation. He rejected this, saying it would be akin to "turning a blind eye." He promised the study would be repeated every year and declared that "zero tolerance applies to sexual harassment within the Bundeswehr."
The study found that women serving in units where women make up more than 15 percent of personnel were less frequently affected. Pistorius said this "argues in favour of recruiting more women into the Bundeswehr."
About one third of those surveyed said they did not or would not report incidents because of a lack of trust in their superiors. Pistorius said only between one-sixth and one-third of cases are actually reported.
In response, the ministry launched a 24-hour HELP hotline this month for military personnel, operating outside the Bundeswehr hierarchy. The ministry announced 34 measures to strengthen a culture of respectful interaction. These include a specialized investigation group to handle cases of sexualized misconduct alongside the military disciplinary prosecutor's office. The topic will also be embedded in career training at all levels.
Green defense politician Sara Nanni said the measures were good but insufficient without an external reporting body with investigative powers. CDU politician Vivian Tauschwitz, herself a Bundeswehr officer, said affected women should be able to speak with a woman about experienced sexual violence.
Ferda Ataman, the government's anti-discrimination commissioner, described the findings as evidence of a "Macho problem."
Henning Otte, the parliamentary commissioner for the armed forces, said the ministry must implement the measures quickly and that "trust in the reporting chains is currently not present."
