German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) has heavily criticized the plan by politicians from the Greens, the Left party, and the SPD in Berlin to terminate the cooperation agreement between the educational administration and the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr).
Speaking to the Tagesspiegel, Pistorius said that while they have noted the outcomes of the preparatory agreement, canceling a cooperation arrangement that was only concluded in June of this year is “completely incomprehensible.” He noted that even if the cancellation does not automatically result in the removal of Youth Officers from schools in Berlin, the preliminary result means that individual schools would once again have to continuously re-examine which experts they could invite, making the process significantly more difficult than it is now.
According to Pistorius, this situation would make teachers “increasingly uncertain” about whether having Youth Officers in schools is “politically desirable” at all. He emphasized that the involvement of Youth Officers has “proven very successful” in many federal states and must therefore remain “fundamentally desired” by the state government in Berlin.
The SPD politician stressed that because the threat landscape has intensified, the Bundeswehr requires “unambiguous political support-even at the state level.” For Pistorius, ending the cooperation agreement in Berlin would send a “signal against the Bundeswehr” and its “important mandate,” and such a signal must not originate from the city.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense confirmed that Youth Officers fulfill a “vital educational mandate” within schools. Their role is to promote “critical examination” of issues related to the “international security situation” and foster an “open dialogue.” The ministry clarified that the program is explicitly not intended for “advertising” the Armed Forces or for “recruiting” young people.
The program has been met with strong acceptance nationwide. According to the ministry spokesperson, approximately 5,590 events were conducted across Germany in 2024, reaching about 164,600 participants. In 2025, there were nearly 5,570 events with around 163,350 participants. Current data for 2026 shows about 4,000 events and 137,600 participants. However, based on current requests, full-year 2026 is projected to involve approximately 5,900 events and around 206,000 participants. Should this upward trend continue through the end of the year, the number of events would exceed that of the previous two years, and the growth among participants is expected to be even more substantial.
