You write this like it isn't true. We're not talking about career officers here. We're talking about grunts. What is the fraction of grunt recruits in USA/UK that you think that could get a job with comparable pay, or (for the case of USA) could afford college, but they perferred to enlist instead?
Bad news for Bundeswehr, good news for German people I'd say.
Lets also be real. If Germany puts in less in terms of funding and readiness, it opens itself up to exploitation by other NATO partners who in a pinch would be more then ready to excise certain concessions in exchange for running cover when it comes to NATO overall readines.
A big part of their decision was based on wanting excitement, and a special operations infantry MOS was the way to get that.
For one young man, it was the job training. He never knew he was not born in the US until he was turned down for enlistment because he was an illegal alien. Then his parents confessed and he added getting his citizenship to the reasons for enlisting.