More than six in ten women serving in Germany's armed forces have experienced sexualised misconduct during their military careers, according to a comprehensive new study presented on Wednesday by Defence Minister Boris Pistorius. The anonymous survey, which drew responses from thousands of soldiers, reveals that the true scale of the problem is three to five times higher than official reporting suggests.
The study, commissioned by the Ministry of Defence, was designed to uncover the so-called 'hidden figures' behind sexual harassment and violence in the Bundeswehr. Of the soldiers who responded, around 4,000 women said they had been subjected to harassment while in service. Extrapolated across the force, that corresponds to more than 60% of all female personnel.
Presenting the findings in Berlin, Pistorius, a member of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), said the results were deeply troubling. “The extent of sexualised misconduct far exceeds the known reporting figures,” he said. Fewer than one in three incidents are ever reported, he added.
Germany's most senior military officer, Inspector General Carsten Breuer, echoed that assessment. “The study shows that the extent of sexualised misconduct is three to five times higher than the reported cases,” he said.
A systemic problem across ranks
The survey used a four-level scale to measure different forms of misconduct. Nearly 40% of servicewomen and 16% of servicemen reported experiencing sexualised remarks or lewd comments. Fifteen percent said they had been harassed with images taken without consent or manipulated using artificial intelligence. Nine percent of women and 3% of men said they had been physically assaulted, while 2% of both genders reported experiencing outright sexual violence.
Young women in lower ranks are disproportionately affected, Pistorius noted. Among men, non-heterosexual soldiers are particularly vulnerable. “Perpetrators are overwhelmingly men,” he said.
The study also found that around a third of victims did not report misconduct because they lacked trust in their superiors or doubted that a serious investigation would follow. That lack of confidence is a central challenge for the armed forces.
Action plan: prevention, investigation, support
Pistorius has long promised a zero-tolerance approach to sexual misconduct. The new action plan, presented alongside the study, rests on three pillars: prevention, professional investigations, and support for victims.
Prevention will become a mandatory part of military training at all levels. “Dealing with sexualised misconduct will become a mandatory part of qualification programmes in the Bundeswehr,” the armed forces said. Breuer added that the topic would be addressed “from the very beginning” of a soldier's career.
Investigations are to be made more professional, with clear points of contact and reporting lines. Disciplinary punishments will be announced publicly within a soldier's unit, a practice known as “announcement before the troops,” intended to deter offenders and reassure victims that reports are taken seriously.
Pistorius was blunt about leadership accountability. “Anyone who is not a role model, even tolerates misconduct or does not deal with it consistently, will no longer hold a leadership position,” he said.
Support for victims includes the establishment of an anonymous reporting point, so that soldiers no longer have to rely solely on their immediate superiors. In late October, Breuer set up a hotline called “HELP” – an acronym for the German words for support, initial counselling, guidance and prevention support. The service currently operates from 8am to 6pm but is planned to become available 24 hours a day. Victims will also receive psychosocial support during investigations.
“Every person in our Bundeswehr must be able to rely on respect, protection and fair treatment,” Pistorius said. Breuer added: “Only those who have this security and this trust can be ready for deployment.”
Political pressure for external oversight
The findings have intensified calls, particularly from the Greens, for an independent body to handle complaints. Sara Nanni, security policy spokesperson for the Greens and a member of the Bundestag's defence committee, argued that servicewomen should not have to report incidents only to their superiors. “I believe that very few women can get through a week without hearing a remark that is also a form of sexualised verbal violence,” she told public broadcaster ZDF before the figures were released.
Thomas Erndl, defence policy spokesperson for the conservative CDU/CSU parliamentary group, said on Tuesday: “Anyone who humiliates female or male comrades, violates their dignity or denies them respect has no place in the Bundeswehr.”
The study's release comes as Germany continues to bolster its military commitments, including recent Nordic military aid pledges and broader European security efforts. The defence ministry hopes that the action plan will restore trust and ensure that the Bundeswehr remains an attractive career option for women.
