Germany: charting its own course
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Germany has broken with its postwar military restraint: it is rearming at speed and has set its sights on becoming NATO's leading European power, with US blessing. - 2026/09 / 2026/09 germany
Germany, once bound by postwar military restraint, is now rearming and positioning itself as NATO's leading European power with US approval. Chancellor Friedrich Merz declared a priority to build "the strongest conventional army in Europe," aiming to revive the faltering industrial base, protect Europe's northern and eastern borders from Russia, and secure German leadership of NATO in Europe.
In 2025, Germany's defense budget of $114 billion will make it the world's fourth largest military spender, surpassed only by the US, China, and Russia. This surge in defense spending, combined with Germany's economic might, is destabilizing the post-Cold War security architecture and exposing an imbalance that neither the illusion of European integration nor the premise of Franco-German unity can ignore.
While Germany remains dependent on US nuclear capabilities and potentially French nuclear capabilities for strategic deterrence, Merz has written that Germany must "chart its own course" in the era of great powers.
Written by urgent.news from Le Monde diplomatique (English)'s reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
