SOURCE :- THE AGE NEWS
By James Rothwell and Daniel Hardaker
Germany must have a stronger army than Britain, its chancellor has said, as he committed to spending 5 per cent of annual GDP on defence.
In his first major address to the German parliament, Friedrich Merz said: “We must make all the means available that the Bundeswehr [German army] needs so that it can become the strongest conventional army in Europe.”
German soldiers take part in NATO exercises last year. Credit: Bloomberg
His comments suggest that Germany, which for decades has been deeply reluctant to rearm owing to its Nazi past, now hopes to eclipse the leading armies of Europe: Britain, Poland and France.
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Berlin was ready to commit to spending 5 per cent of annual GDP on defence as demanded by US President Donald Trump. He said Germany would “follow him there”.
Trump has been lobbying NATO members to meet the spending target, with Estonia and Poland already committing to do so.
The figure is double the UK’s aim to spend 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence per year by 2027.
Germany has vowed to become a major European security power in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a process that requires massive reinvestment in the Bundeswehr.
For decades, the German army suffered from a lack of investment and poor equipment, linked to a belief in Berlin that defence was no longer a priority.
‘What concerns me is not just a military weakness but a mental one, that we are not sufficiently prepared – not just technically, but in terms of emotion … We need a new seriousness.’
Joachim Gauck, former German president
Its soldiers were once forced to take part in a NATO exercise using broomsticks.
Olaf Scholz, Merz’s predecessor, sought to address this by creating a special fund of €100 billion ($174.4 billion) to restore the might of the German army.
Merz has gone further by scrapping Germany’s famously strict borrowing limits on the defence sector, with projects that cost more than 1 per cent of GDP now eligible for unlimited funding.
His government is also considering a return to conscription, which was abandoned by Germany in 2011, if a new voluntary scheme of military service for young people does not draw enough recruits.
Major rearmament of the country would not only require tens of thousands more troops but also increased production of long-range Taurus missiles, Leopard 2 battle tanks and IRIS-T missiles.
The German army would also need to rebuild dilapidated barracks and fix the nation’s crumbling transport network, which military officials fear is unable to rapidly transport troops and tanks to the east.
A German armoured fighting vehicle takes part in NATO exercises.Credit: Bloomberg
The Bundeswehr currently consists of about 180,000 regular soldiers, considerably more than Britain’s 135,000 regular troops. When taking into account reservist forces, the Bundeswehr claims to have almost a million soldiers at its disposal, a legacy of national service.
The French military has about 200,000 active soldiers, plus 41,000 reservists, while the Polish military has more than 200,000 active-duty soldiers and about 40,000 reservists.
Germany also has 296 battle tanks, more than the current British stockpile of 213 tanks, of which under 150 are believed to be in a serviceable condition, according to analysis by data website Statista.
Poland has 614, the highest number of tanks at the ready, while France has 215.
Germany also overtook the UK in military spending in 2024, according to a recent report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
However, experts still consider the British Army’s level of combat experience and quality of training to be superior to Germany’s.
Unlike Germany, Britain also has its own nuclear weapons programme, Trident, which serves as the ultimate military deterrent and is believed to have about 60 nuclear missiles.
The UK’s surface fleet has 52 warships, whereas Germany’s has between 30 and 40, according to analysis by The Telegraph, London. The UK also possesses nine submarines – more than Germany’s six.
Germany technically has no nuclear missiles because it has no nuclear program. However, it does host an unknown number of US nuclear missiles at military bases – at least 20 according to some estimates – but has no control over them.
More bullish tone
As part of efforts to play a bigger role in European security, the German armed forces have taken charge of a new NATO mission to protect the Baltic Sea from Russian saboteurs.
The mission, known as Task Force Baltic, has increased surveillance and naval patrols in the area, which deter and seize vessels suspected of attempting to cut undersea cables.
Senior officers in the German navy have also adopted a more bullish tone towards Russia in recent months.
Speaking to the Telegraph in February, Stephan Haisch, a rear admiral in the German Navy, said it was a “good sign” that German military activity in the Baltic region was “bothering” Russia.
However, some German leaders fear that, psychologically, the country is not ready for war – and perhaps never will be.
Joachim Gauck, who served as German president from 2012 to 2017, suggested last month that Germans were too mentally weak to cope with warfare after decades of peace and prosperity.
He told Philipp Sandmann, a German newsletter publisher: “What concerns me is not just a military weakness but a mental one, that we are not sufficiently prepared – not just technically, but in terms of emotion, morality and politics. We need a new seriousness.”
Germany and Britain this week announced a new joint project to develop long-range missiles, building on their recent Trinity House security pact.
Berlin will also source British-made military bridges to improve the nation’s infrastructure, the two countries’ defence ministries announced in a statement.
The Telegraph, London
