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Europe's military personnel shortfalls exposed as Trump warns US security priorities lie elsewhere

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NATO leaders approved a set of military plans designed to repel an invasion of Europe .

But the Trump administration warned last month that U.S. priorities lie elsewhere.

Mustering just 30,000 European troops to police any future peace in Ukraine is proving a challenge.

Billions of euros are being shifted to military budgets, but only slowly.

Last year , 20,290 people started serving in the German military, or Bundeswehr , an 8% increase.

Of the 18,810 who joined in 2023 , more than a quarter5,100 or 27% of the total — left again.

The German parliament’s commissioner for the armed forces said that army life is a hard sell.

At the other end of the scale, tiny Luxembourg has unique demographic challenges.