German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock recently emphasized the country’s vulnerability, being only 8 hours away from the largest war in Europe in nearly eight decades. In response to this, Germany’s government has announced a 50% increase in military spending and allocated 100 billion euros for the purchase of military equipment. However, despite these efforts, there are still challenges to overcome, including slow implementation and recruitment issues.
The German Defense Minister has also announced the creation of a Cyber Defense branch within the Armed Forces as part of ongoing reform efforts. These reforms aim to make the military more operational and reactive, including the establishment of a single operational command. Despite this push for growth, there are still concerns about recruitment due to full employment and discussions about reintroducing compulsory military service have emerged as a potential solution.
German leaders believe that they are living in “pre-war times,” as stated by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. This belief is reflected in the growing rhetoric around multibillion-dollar investments being made to revive military industries that have suffered from disinvestment since the end of the Cold War. However, there is an acknowledgement that many armies, including Germany’s, need to improve their readiness as they have more fat than muscle.
When Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops to attack Ukraine over two years ago, Germany took stock of its military capabilities and found significant deficiencies. More than half of its fighter planes, attack helicopters, military ships, and submarines were non-operational, and pilots lacked sufficient training hours. Despite being ranked third in Europe on paper, Germany’s Armed Forces lag behind countries like Italy
