Germany's Bundeswehr (the country's armed forces) is stepping up recruitment of young people at vocational careers fairs, deploying lifelike wound-simulating mannequins, fitness challenges, and branded merchandise to attract school-leavers as the military races to add 75,000 personnel by 2035. At a recent fair in Offenburg, southern Germany, uniformed recruiters guided teenagers toward specific roles — from armoured infantry to medical corps — using a streamlined approach designed to generate what recruiters call "first contact," a foothold in a longer enlistment process. The drive comes amid growing pressure on Germany to meet NATO targets following Russia's war in Ukraine, with the government having already introduced a light-touch military registration questionnaire for all men turning 18, raising ethical questions about how actively the state should be marketing combat careers to minors.