In February 2025, Friedrich Merz became the new Chancellor of Germany after a series of internal political crises that took place in the fourth quarter of 2024. F. Merz was elected in the context of an extremely complicated and unpredictable world situation. In Europe, the Russia-Ukraine conflict has lasted for 3 years and has internationalized elements as the participation of China, North Korea, and Iran has become increasingly evident. The conflict has caused commodity prices in the region and around the world to increase to an unprecedented level due to the increase in energy prices because Russia is the main supplier for European countries, of which Germany has long recorded 60% of energy sources originating from Russia. In the world, the Israel-Iran conflict has become increasingly complicated and unpredictable after the events of October 7, 2023. The conflict and the US-China trade war have shown signs of escalation after President Donald Trump returned to the White House. The US-China issue has strained transatlantic relations as D. Trump asked countries to spend 3-5% of GDP on defense, causing deep divisions among EU countries.

Germany still has no clear foreign and defense policy, as the parties have just agreed to form a new government. However, Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s initial somewhat tough moves have suggested a foreign and defense policy for the coming years.

1.     European Strongest Army

In May 2025, Chancellor Friedrich Merz made a bold statement in the Bundestag, creating “the strongest European army.” F. Merz’s statement is determined to lead Germany out of previous internal political crises. Above all, the establishment of the strongest army in Europe to respond to regional issues, including the Russia-Ukraine war, shows no signs of stopping. Following the German Chancellor’s statement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov declared F. Merz’s words “very worrying” and reminded of past events related to two world wars caused by Germany.

To realize his ambition, Merz announced spending of up to 1,000 billion euros on defense and infrastructure. The government of Prime Minister F. Merz plans to buy 2,500 GTK Boxer infantry fighting vehicles and 1,000 Leopard 2 main battle tanks for a total value of 25 billion euros. The government of Prime Minister F. Merz is accelerating the development of military forces to cope with increasing pressure from Russia as Ukraine shows signs of declining fighting ability, with the United States under the administration of President Donald Trump cutting aid to the government of Ukrainian President Volodimyr Zelensky.

Germany currently has 185,000 active troops and more than 34,000 reserve troops. The number may not be enough to build the strongest army on the European continent.

In April 2025, Germany deployed 5,000 troops to Lithuania, a country that shares a border with Russia. The event marked a shift in German defense policy as Germany began deploying troops to other countries on a permanent basis. The event also marked the first time since World War II that Germany deployed troops to another country. Brig. Gen. Christoph Huber, the commander of the 45th Armored Brigade, said that with its creation, “we’re not only moving toward operational readiness, we’re taking responsibility.”

“For the alliance, for Lithuania, for Europe’s security,” he said. “As a sign of our determination to defend peace and freedom with our partners.” Boris Pistorius, German Defense Minister at the time of the establishment of the 45th Armored Brigade, said that the establishment of the 45th German brigade would “take on the leadership role of protecting NATO’s eastern flank.” Germany also began recruiting 11,000 more soldiers to meet the needs of the increasingly complex and unpredictable international situation. However, B. Pistorius stated that the German army needs up to 60 thousand soldiers to meet NATO’s increasing needs in the context of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which is in Moscow’s favor, and is only a “preliminary estimate.”

2.     Restoring European Union unity, with the core of Franco-German relations

The European Union is weakening due to disagreements among its member states. Many countries, mainly in Eastern Europe, oppose providing financial support and military aid to Ukraine. Meanwhile, countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy are offering financial and military assistance to strengthen Ukraine’s combat capabilities. In order to move toward unified action, the core Franco-German relationship will help ensure that European countries make more consistent and coordinated decisions.

After being elected, Prime Minister F. Merz declared that his top priority is “to create unity [within Europe] and to strengthen the role, position, and power of European nations in order to gradually move away from U.S. influence.” Mr. Merz’s statement not only refers to the United States but also concerns Russia. Demonstrating a united Europe will serve as pressure on President Vladimir Putin’s administration to de-escalate the conflict with Ukraine.

On May 7, 2025, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz paid an official visit to France. This visit marked his first foreign trip since taking office. At the press conference, Chancellor Merz affirmed that both sides would “implement joint measures to further strengthen Europe’s security and defense capabilities.” The event highlights that Germany’s foreign policy under Chancellor F. Merz is oriented toward fostering cooperation and strengthening ties among European Union and NATO member states. In this context, the Franco-German relationship will serve as a foundation for advancing shared interests and ensuring the security of both countries as well as the broader European region.

At the NATO Summit in July 2025, Chancellor Friedrich Merz reaffirmed his support for the Future Combat Air System (FCAS). FCAS is the only joint weapons development framework involving both Germany and France that aims to reduce dependence on U.S. weaponry. The German Chancellor stated that developing FCAS would benefit Europe’s entire defense industry. However, the project now faces the risk of collapse, as France’s Dassault Group has announced it will pursue product development independently during phase 2 of the project. Meanwhile, Chancellor F. Merz’s administration is seeking to further strengthen relations with France through this framework, with a long-term vision of establishing a joint European Army in the future.

Conclusion

Although German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has only been in office for about half a year, he has already demonstrated to regional partners Germany’s ambition to take on a greater role in ensuring security for its neighbors, as well as a willingness to engage in cooperative relations with allies and partners for common goals. While his administration has yet to articulate a clear foreign and defense policy, these recent developments indicate that Germany’s priority will be the European region—particularly the Russia-Ukraine conflict—rather than the Indo-Pacific, which was a focus of his predecessors.