The Bundeswehr is struggling to recruit enough personnel for a new brigade that Germany plans to station in Lithuania, according to Welt am Sonntag.

Citing documents from the German Defense Ministry, the newspaper reported that military planners use a traffic-light system to track the brigade’s readiness. Orange marks an insufficient level, while red signals a critical shortfall. Those two indicators currently dominate the internal assessments.

The number of applicants is rising slowly, but not fast enough to fill the brigade’s ranks. By June, some units had reached less than 30% of their planned strength in Lithuania, while many others remained below 50%.

The shortage is particularly acute among military communications specialists, who will be essential once the brigade is deployed. Their staffing level stood at only around 40% of the target.

Internal Bundeswehr documents identify two main problems: recruiting enlisted personnel and finding non-commissioned officers with specialized skills. The German Defense Ministry said an intensified volunteer recruitment campaign had produced some results, but still fell short of the force’s personnel needs.