There was another interesting twist for members of the East German armed forces and Grenztruppen. Although drafted for military service, a soldier could find himself working in a factory instead of a military unit.  Due to the deterioration of the East German economy, the Minister of Defense in 1988 ordered the military to step in and further assist with manpower and logistical support.  In the ensuing year close to 10,000 soldiers and over 300 military vehicles were diverted each month to work in a variety of civilian industries or combines. Recent conscripts with only four months of military training were being sent directly to East German industries instead of their military units. For the military leadership this caused problems for training and combat readiness. For the soldiers, however, it was understandably desirable duty even if they were paid less than their civilian co-workers. 

Despite its popularity with the soldiers, the siphoning of manpower from the military affected morale and discipline as combat readiness steadily eroded. Soldiers began deserting in record numbers.   During the summer and fall of 1988, thirty members of the NVA slipped through the patrols of the Grenztruppen and escaped over the frontier to West Germany while another fifty were apprehended trying to escape. The dramatic increase of escapes along the border and the sagging morale throughout the military caused  the Border Command to reassess the reliability of their own troops. Subsequently, 422 Grenztruppen were reassigned to other posts away from the border area. 

And what happened to the high state of readiness the NVA prided itself on?  With manpower and equipment being diverted to bolster the economy, half of the army’s 14 motorized infantry regiments during 1988 were rated as not combat ready.