WASHINGTON (TNND) — For the first time since the Cold War, Germany is openly positioning itself to lead Europe in the event of military aggression against NATO, which is a dramatic cultural and strategic shift in a country long defined by post-World War II military restraint. With tensions rising between Russia and NATO allies, Berlin is now moving faster than at any point in recent history to rebuild and modernize its forces.

Germany’s Big Move: A Larger Army, Mandatory Screening, and New Incentives

Germany’s parliament has formally approved a sweeping military expansion law aimed at growing the Bundeswehr from roughly 180,000 soldiers today to 260,000 by 2035. That’s according to the German government’s official announcement of the legislation. To get there, Germany is rolling out a slate of incentives: higher pay, improved training pipelines, and programs designed to make military careers more transferable to civilian employment, a major barrier in the past.

Another major shift: every 18-year-old man will now receive a mandatory questionnaire evaluating health and fitness for potential service, reviving a selective-service-style model that Germany hasn’t used in years. Women can voluntarily opt in.

Why Germany Is Doing This, and Why Now

German defense officials have been increasingly blunt: Europe needs to be prepared for the possibility of a direct military confrontation with Russia, and Germany cannot assume the United States will shoulder the same level of responsibility it once did. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has warned that NATO must be ready for the possibility of a Russian conflict “as early as next year,” urging Europe to take its own defense posture seriously and prepare to lead if necessary, according to Eurasia Daily.

For Germany, a country where military overreach carries deep historical scars, this is a profound shift. But officials argue the regional threat landscape leaves no choice.

Meanwhile in the U.S., Recruiting Is Up, but Readiness Is Still a Cause for Concern

As Germany speeds ahead with its expansion, the United States is facing its own set of uncomfortable questions about military readiness. Recruitment, surprisingly, is not one of them.

The Army hit its fiscal-year 2025 goal of 61,000 recruits four months ahead of schedule, its best performance in a decade, according to the Department of War. The Navy and Air Force report they’re on track to meet their targets as well.

But recruitment numbers alone don’t fix what watchdogs say is a long-term readiness crisis.

GAO: Two Decades of Declining Readiness

A March 2025 Government Accountability Office (GAO) assessment laid out a stark picture: the U.S. military has experienced declining readiness for more than 20 years, largely because the Pentagon is struggling to maintain aging systems while simultaneously fielding new ones to counter advanced global threats.

Here’s how GAO breaks it down:

  • Air: 42 of 45 major aircraft platforms failed to meet mission-capable goals in 2023. Persistent issues: aging fleets, not enough maintainers, supply shortages.
  • Sea: Only 20% of carrier strike groups completed maintenance on schedule in FY 2021. Half of the Navy’s amphibious ships were rated in poor condition. Some repair plans were canceled until Congress intervened to stop divestments.
  • Ground: Army watercraft mission-capable rates fell from 75% to under 40% since 2020. The Army has begun fielding new equipment without fully prepared facilities or training plans.
  • Space: The Space Force has not identified the personnel pipelines or training structures needed to operate new systems in contested environments.

GAO’s conclusion: the challenges are systemic, long-running, and not improving on their own.