German Military May Recruit From EU

BERLIN (AP) -- Germany's top soldier says authorities are contemplating allowing the country's military to recruit citizens of other European Union countries in some areas, including as doctors and information technology specialists.

Germany dropped military conscription in 2011, and the Bundeswehr now has to compete for recruits in a healthy economy with low unemployment.

The military's chief of staff, Gen. Eberhard Zorn, was quoted Thursday as telling the Funke newspaper group that "we must look in every direction at a time when there is a shortage of specialists."

He added: "One option we are examining is the question of whether we allow applications by fellow EU citizens for very specific fields of work --- we are talking here about doctors or IT specialists, for example."

(KA)