The German government on Thursday pledged to boost military spending after defense chiefs laid bare the “extremely limited” resources of Europe’s biggest economies to help pushback against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Finance Minister Christian Lindner said it was time for a “turning point” in German defense investment, long a target of criticism by Western allies.
“I worry that we have neglected the armed forces so much in the past that it can’t completely fulfil its duties,” he told public television.
“Falling defense spending no longer fits with the times.”
Former defense minister under Angela Merkel, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, had earlier admitted Berlin was guilty of “historical failure” in not bolstering itself militarily.
She said Germany had forgotten lessons from the past that “negotiation always comes first, but we have to be militarily strong enough to make non-negotiation not an option for the other side.”
“I’m so angry at ourselves for our historical failure. After Georgia, Crimea, and Donbas, we have not prepared anything that would have really deterred Putin,” said Kramp-Karrenbauer, referring to incursions carried out by Russia while Merkel was in power.
Her Twitter outburst came as the chief of the German land army, Alfons Mais, posted on the social network LinkedIn that “the options we can offer to politicians to support (NATO) are extremely limited.”
The Bundeswehr “is more or less bare,” he wrote in the stark admission.
‘Now is the Time’
Western allies had “seen it coming and were not in the position to come through with our arguments, to draw the lessons from the annexation of Crimea and to implement them,” the commander said.“
NATO territory is not directly threatened yet, even if our partners in the east feel the constantly growing pressure,” he said.
Mais said it was high time to bolster the army.
“When if not now is the time to… rebuild, otherwise we will not be able to carry out our constitutional mission or our obligations to our allies with any prospect of success,” he said.
Germany’s dark past has nurtured a strong pacifist tradition, and it has often been criticized by partners for not pulling its weight in tackling crisis hotspots.
Defense officials have over the last years repeatedly sounded the alarm over the army’s equipment woes — a litany of disrepair plaguing fighter planes, tanks, helicopters, and ships.
At the end of 2017, all the country’s submarines were in drydock for repairs while for some of the following year none of the air force’s A400M transport planes were airworthy.
‘Count on Us’
Russia’s invasion may well force changes in priorities, with the Bundestag’s armed forces commissioner Eva Hoegl saying the army may have to switch from focusing on foreign missions to “domestic and allied (NATO) defense.”
She too admitted the Bundeswehr’s “standing start capability is not what it should be.”
NATO partners will hold a virtual summit Friday to discuss their response to Russia.
Around 550 German soldiers are stationed in Lithuania as part of a NATO mission, with another 350 troop reinforcements already pledged. But Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht has said the numbers could be increased.
Asked about the latest criticisms within the army, Lambrecht said Germany’s “allies can count on us 100 percent”.
“I can only advise everyone who carries responsibility to put all their efforts into meeting these challenges right now. That is the order of the day,” she said.
Germany was criticized in the build-up to the invasion for refusing to deliver lethal weapons into the crisis zone, sending instead 5,000 helmets to Ukraine.
Instead, Germany has provided Ukraine with over two billion euros ($2.2 billion) in financial support over the last eight years.
In January, the head of the German navy, Kay-Achim Schoenbach, stepped down following a remark made at an Indian think-tank that the Russian President Vladimir Putin “is to be respected.”
Send Ukraine some fucking help. They’re getting more help from Estonia than Germany.
I’ll believe it when I see it.
As if Germany would do anything more than targeted sanctions as tanks roll through Berlin
Canada v Germany for most incompetent Nato military?
Military spending will hardly matter if German politicians and population won’t start to take their military seriously. There’s a reason why Bundeswehra has problem with far-right members.
This is like 10 years too late.
I mean they do have to replace those helmets they donated
r/europe: Germany needs to spend more on military
also r/europe: Spews anger when Germany spends more on military
Bout’ fucking time
we already have a military budget that is on par with france but it just doesnt end up in the army so it seems. this will be a huge waste of money
Germany increase military spending while still using russian gas. Cool make sense at all.
Maybe they’ll buy more helmets…
I think the European complaining about the 2% GDP spending requirement the US is pushing for NATO is going to go the way of the dodo bird
Germans just like Swedish politicians have really wanted to believe that total wars were behind us and that reason and compassion would overrule military might. Putin threw all of those beliefs in the trash can very clearly and now we have to change our mindsets very quickly to adapt to this new reality.
Were are the leftists that fought tooth and nail every time increased spending in military was proposed?
Money isn’t going to revive the German military. We have a non existing warrior culture after Prussia was turned into Poland and Kaliningrad. Every year at the swearing in of New Bundeswehr soldaten there is a huge turnout for protests in Berlin calling the new 18yo recruits Nazi scum. We needed forced conspriction up until 2012 for there to even be a bundeswehr. ~~We currently have 44 tanks and no attack helicopters~~. We needed the Americans to bail us out of Afghanistan because we didn’t have transport planes.
My point is that the problem isn’t just the spending. German culture shuns its military. I was talking with my friends today about it and we all came to the conclusion if Germany was invaded we would give up as soon as the border was crossed. No one would fight like they do in Ukraine.
Isn’t the whole security and economic order in Europe made literally to make sure these dudes don’t arm up again?
Happy that the Germans are waking up and taking on the responsibility that comes with being the biggest economy in Europe. Europe is much stronger with a strong and confident Germany. If there is one thing the Russians fear it is motivated and well equipped German soldiers.
The dream would be to let France make the new fighter and Germany the new mbt with the expertise of the other country. One, if not the best, country to make plane with no budget with a real budget and one, if not the best, to make amazing mbt. that’s what Europe need, a real Franco-germany trust (not that we don’t trust each other).
Former conscript + additional time and somewhat active reservist weighing in
——————————-
The problem with our military is not that we don’t spend enough. All of the not enough % was Trump being an idiot as countries measure their military budget differently.
We spend about as much as France and Britain.
Yet we are in a horrible situation all the while these two countries have a better situation and to top it off have Nukes which cost a lot, nevermind the carriers.
Realistically the entire bureaucratic structure of the Bundeswehr needs to be taken apart.
All the way down to something as simple as warehousing and resupplying warehouses.
We can’t even supply a Brigade with essential equipment.
Whenever there’s a mission abroad the clerks have to pull equipment from all over the country to equip this one mission.
And then that’s it. That’s the entire Bundeswehr because there’s no more equipment.
The troops right now in the Baltics are a major headache for the defence ministry.
The soldiers don’t have enough warm clothing.
Yeah.
But the German public is at fault for this. Mostly due to its radical pacifism.
The various Inspector Generals have criticised the state of the Bundeswehr for years.
The politicians ignored it and could ignore it because the public does not give a shit.
The public is generally oblivious to military matters. Especially when it comes to military history.
The meme throughout the cold war was that the Bundeswehr fights till the real army arrives, basically the rest of NATO.
This has no ground in history. The Bundeswehr in the 80s was one of the strongest land based armed forces of the world.
Another factor for ridicule is the existence of Nukes.
This is where every discussion usually ends.
Nukes equal the end of civilisation.
Therefore why fight? It’s all meaningless anyway.
This mindset made of course quite a bit of sense during the cold war.
Germany would’ve been Nuke alley from all sides.
But this mindset has less relevance today.
Conventional wars have been quite real outside of Europe for some time and there has been no Armageddon.
And another favourite idea was: We are surrounded by friends.
This is really disgusting. It basically means we leave such matters as defence to our neighbours while we do other stuff.
It’s also where the European Army thing for Germans comes in.
It’s just another excuse to outsource defence to someone else.
Just my 0,02€
Well, just a bit over 2 months ago, the new coalition in the government didn’t even mentioned 2% GDP goal of military spending in there new coalition agreement. Now THEY HAVE TO aim for even higher spending anyways.
I just think this days, if we should like with the recovery fund less then two years ago, do some kind of share debt for the EU when it comes to military spending. More like 150 billion €uro then 750 billion € , but like that the more affected countries get proportionally more. (Like 50%+ for the Nations bordering Russia). I think that would be spend money then trying to increase Germany budget.
Germany can do nothing right for the people in this sub. The brain cancer that is anti German propaganda has been allowed to seep into the 14 year olds’ brains here for too long. Good job, mod team!
Europe should be taking the lead in Europe
If Germany isnt up to shape, there is still France or UK
Not Americans
> Finance Minister Christian Lindner said it was time for a “turning point” in German defense investment, long a target of criticism by Western allies.
Oh, shut the fuck up you dumb piece of shit, you didnt want to give the BW more money just a couple of weeks ago.
Germany starts preparing for a war that started 8 years ago.
And all it took was the largest european land invasion since ww2.
I hope this is a “better late than never” situation, but honestly, this should have happened in 2014 at the latest
Would be a good time for all of the European countries (my own included) that are currently under-armed to do exactly what we did with the covid vaccines and run and EU wide tender for tanks, planes, guns, munitions, weapons systems etc and get them for a good price. I’m sure there are economies of scale that could be beneficial.
It would probably help with standardisation across the EU, countries could also pool maintenance/upgrade expertise and resources and save money there too.
Based opinion, but if Russia can invade its neighbours without consequence, Germany has permission to uhh, get some of its old fighting spirit back. Y’all go ahead, whip up some next-gen Panzers, it’s all good.
Controversial and probably very unpopular, but I would not mind Germany pursuing nuclear weapons.
Not because I think they should be used, but as a deterrent. Right now, only one EU country has nukes.
Never thought i’d see the day people would cheer a german military buildup. Bots are in full force today. Either that or this is a case of mass delusion.
33 comments
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2022/02/25/germany-hike-military-spending/
The German government on Thursday pledged to boost military spending after defense chiefs laid bare the “extremely limited” resources of Europe’s biggest economies to help pushback against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Finance Minister Christian Lindner said it was time for a “turning point” in German defense investment, long a target of criticism by Western allies.
“I worry that we have neglected the armed forces so much in the past that it can’t completely fulfil its duties,” he told public television.
“Falling defense spending no longer fits with the times.”
Former defense minister under Angela Merkel, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, had earlier admitted Berlin was guilty of “historical failure” in not bolstering itself militarily.
She said Germany had forgotten lessons from the past that “negotiation always comes first, but we have to be militarily strong enough to make non-negotiation not an option for the other side.”
“I’m so angry at ourselves for our historical failure. After Georgia, Crimea, and Donbas, we have not prepared anything that would have really deterred Putin,” said Kramp-Karrenbauer, referring to incursions carried out by Russia while Merkel was in power.
Her Twitter outburst came as the chief of the German land army, Alfons Mais, posted on the social network LinkedIn that “the options we can offer to politicians to support (NATO) are extremely limited.”
The Bundeswehr “is more or less bare,” he wrote in the stark admission.
‘Now is the Time’
Western allies had “seen it coming and were not in the position to come through with our arguments, to draw the lessons from the annexation of Crimea and to implement them,” the commander said.“
NATO territory is not directly threatened yet, even if our partners in the east feel the constantly growing pressure,” he said.
Mais said it was high time to bolster the army.
“When if not now is the time to… rebuild, otherwise we will not be able to carry out our constitutional mission or our obligations to our allies with any prospect of success,” he said.
Germany’s dark past has nurtured a strong pacifist tradition, and it has often been criticized by partners for not pulling its weight in tackling crisis hotspots.
Defense officials have over the last years repeatedly sounded the alarm over the army’s equipment woes — a litany of disrepair plaguing fighter planes, tanks, helicopters, and ships.
At the end of 2017, all the country’s submarines were in drydock for repairs while for some of the following year none of the air force’s A400M transport planes were airworthy.
‘Count on Us’
Russia’s invasion may well force changes in priorities, with the Bundestag’s armed forces commissioner Eva Hoegl saying the army may have to switch from focusing on foreign missions to “domestic and allied (NATO) defense.”
She too admitted the Bundeswehr’s “standing start capability is not what it should be.”
NATO partners will hold a virtual summit Friday to discuss their response to Russia.
Around 550 German soldiers are stationed in Lithuania as part of a NATO mission, with another 350 troop reinforcements already pledged. But Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht has said the numbers could be increased.
Asked about the latest criticisms within the army, Lambrecht said Germany’s “allies can count on us 100 percent”.
“I can only advise everyone who carries responsibility to put all their efforts into meeting these challenges right now. That is the order of the day,” she said.
Germany was criticized in the build-up to the invasion for refusing to deliver lethal weapons into the crisis zone, sending instead 5,000 helmets to Ukraine.
Instead, Germany has provided Ukraine with over two billion euros ($2.2 billion) in financial support over the last eight years.
In January, the head of the German navy, Kay-Achim Schoenbach, stepped down following a remark made at an Indian think-tank that the Russian President Vladimir Putin “is to be respected.”
Send Ukraine some fucking help. They’re getting more help from Estonia than Germany.
I’ll believe it when I see it.
As if Germany would do anything more than targeted sanctions as tanks roll through Berlin
Canada v Germany for most incompetent Nato military?
Military spending will hardly matter if German politicians and population won’t start to take their military seriously. There’s a reason why Bundeswehra has problem with far-right members.
This is like 10 years too late.
I mean they do have to replace those helmets they donated
r/europe: Germany needs to spend more on military
also r/europe: Spews anger when Germany spends more on military
Bout’ fucking time
we already have a military budget that is on par with france but it just doesnt end up in the army so it seems. this will be a huge waste of money
Germany increase military spending while still using russian gas. Cool make sense at all.
Maybe they’ll buy more helmets…
I think the European complaining about the 2% GDP spending requirement the US is pushing for NATO is going to go the way of the dodo bird
Germans just like Swedish politicians have really wanted to believe that total wars were behind us and that reason and compassion would overrule military might. Putin threw all of those beliefs in the trash can very clearly and now we have to change our mindsets very quickly to adapt to this new reality.
Were are the leftists that fought tooth and nail every time increased spending in military was proposed?
Money isn’t going to revive the German military. We have a non existing warrior culture after Prussia was turned into Poland and Kaliningrad. Every year at the swearing in of New Bundeswehr soldaten there is a huge turnout for protests in Berlin calling the new 18yo recruits Nazi scum. We needed forced conspriction up until 2012 for there to even be a bundeswehr. ~~We currently have 44 tanks and no attack helicopters~~. We needed the Americans to bail us out of Afghanistan because we didn’t have transport planes.
My point is that the problem isn’t just the spending. German culture shuns its military. I was talking with my friends today about it and we all came to the conclusion if Germany was invaded we would give up as soon as the border was crossed. No one would fight like they do in Ukraine.
Isn’t the whole security and economic order in Europe made literally to make sure these dudes don’t arm up again?
Happy that the Germans are waking up and taking on the responsibility that comes with being the biggest economy in Europe. Europe is much stronger with a strong and confident Germany. If there is one thing the Russians fear it is motivated and well equipped German soldiers.
The dream would be to let France make the new fighter and Germany the new mbt with the expertise of the other country. One, if not the best, country to make plane with no budget with a real budget and one, if not the best, to make amazing mbt. that’s what Europe need, a real Franco-germany trust (not that we don’t trust each other).
Former conscript + additional time and somewhat active reservist weighing in
——————————-
The problem with our military is not that we don’t spend enough. All of the not enough % was Trump being an idiot as countries measure their military budget differently.
We spend about as much as France and Britain.
Yet we are in a horrible situation all the while these two countries have a better situation and to top it off have Nukes which cost a lot, nevermind the carriers.
Realistically the entire bureaucratic structure of the Bundeswehr needs to be taken apart.
All the way down to something as simple as warehousing and resupplying warehouses.
We can’t even supply a Brigade with essential equipment.
Whenever there’s a mission abroad the clerks have to pull equipment from all over the country to equip this one mission.
And then that’s it. That’s the entire Bundeswehr because there’s no more equipment.
The troops right now in the Baltics are a major headache for the defence ministry.
The soldiers don’t have enough warm clothing.
Yeah.
But the German public is at fault for this. Mostly due to its radical pacifism.
The various Inspector Generals have criticised the state of the Bundeswehr for years.
The politicians ignored it and could ignore it because the public does not give a shit.
The public is generally oblivious to military matters. Especially when it comes to military history.
The meme throughout the cold war was that the Bundeswehr fights till the real army arrives, basically the rest of NATO.
This has no ground in history. The Bundeswehr in the 80s was one of the strongest land based armed forces of the world.
Another factor for ridicule is the existence of Nukes.
This is where every discussion usually ends.
Nukes equal the end of civilisation.
Therefore why fight? It’s all meaningless anyway.
This mindset made of course quite a bit of sense during the cold war.
Germany would’ve been Nuke alley from all sides.
But this mindset has less relevance today.
Conventional wars have been quite real outside of Europe for some time and there has been no Armageddon.
And another favourite idea was: We are surrounded by friends.
This is really disgusting. It basically means we leave such matters as defence to our neighbours while we do other stuff.
It’s also where the European Army thing for Germans comes in.
It’s just another excuse to outsource defence to someone else.
Just my 0,02€
Well, just a bit over 2 months ago, the new coalition in the government didn’t even mentioned 2% GDP goal of military spending in there new coalition agreement. Now THEY HAVE TO aim for even higher spending anyways.
I just think this days, if we should like with the recovery fund less then two years ago, do some kind of share debt for the EU when it comes to military spending. More like 150 billion €uro then 750 billion € , but like that the more affected countries get proportionally more. (Like 50%+ for the Nations bordering Russia). I think that would be spend money then trying to increase Germany budget.
Germany can do nothing right for the people in this sub. The brain cancer that is anti German propaganda has been allowed to seep into the 14 year olds’ brains here for too long. Good job, mod team!
Europe should be taking the lead in Europe
If Germany isnt up to shape, there is still France or UK
Not Americans
> Finance Minister Christian Lindner said it was time for a “turning point” in German defense investment, long a target of criticism by Western allies.
Oh, shut the fuck up you dumb piece of shit, you didnt want to give the BW more money just a couple of weeks ago.
Germany starts preparing for a war that started 8 years ago.
And all it took was the largest european land invasion since ww2.
Jesus christmas christ it’s about damn time!
So, is ‘hike military spending’ a code word for ‘building up to *at least one* submarine and *at least one* big transport plane – [from zero](https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-lack-of-military-readiness-dramatic-says-bundeswehr-commissioner/a-42663215)?’
I hope this is a “better late than never” situation, but honestly, this should have happened in 2014 at the latest
Would be a good time for all of the European countries (my own included) that are currently under-armed to do exactly what we did with the covid vaccines and run and EU wide tender for tanks, planes, guns, munitions, weapons systems etc and get them for a good price. I’m sure there are economies of scale that could be beneficial.
It would probably help with standardisation across the EU, countries could also pool maintenance/upgrade expertise and resources and save money there too.
Based opinion, but if Russia can invade its neighbours without consequence, Germany has permission to uhh, get some of its old fighting spirit back. Y’all go ahead, whip up some next-gen Panzers, it’s all good.
Controversial and probably very unpopular, but I would not mind Germany pursuing nuclear weapons.
Not because I think they should be used, but as a deterrent. Right now, only one EU country has nukes.
Never thought i’d see the day people would cheer a german military buildup. Bots are in full force today. Either that or this is a case of mass delusion.