Germany’s all-volunteer military attracted 18,802 recruits last year, with 1,996 of them being just 17 years of age at the time they signed up, according to information released by the Defence Ministry in Berlin. The proportion of recruits under the age of 18 rose to 10.6% from 9.4% in 2022, contrary to the 2021 coalition agreement, which called for military service to be open only to those who had attained the age of majority – 18 in Germany. The Defence Ministry said that 17-year-old recruits were accepted only if they passed “a comprehensive physical and psychological suitability test proce…