German Defense Minister, Peter Struck, told the Deutsche Welle that "using [unemployed] civilians instead of soldiers would save money," when exercising war games.

According to the report, military exercises can take up to 400 people, to act as civilians, enemies, and non-combatants.

According to the German Armed Forces, soldiers have to be paid, even though they are simply playing civilians. Citizens, however, could be paid substantially less for the same tasks.

According to a report from UPI, Urlich Adam, a Christian Democrat member of the German parliament, has responded to the idea, saying he hoped Struck was "not trying to make fun of the unemployed."