(Reuters) – Germany will strengthen its armed forces to make them the backbone of deterrence and collective defense in Europe, its defense minister vowed on Thursday, as Berlin unveiled new defense policy guidelines for the first time in more than a decade.
The 19-page document details what the “Zeitenwende” – the major policy shift announced by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 – means for the functioning of the Bundeswehr, the German armed forces.
As a first step towards recovering its military forces after decades of wear and tear following the Cold War, last year Germany set up a special fund of 100 billion euros to buy modern weapons and pledged to meet NATO’s target of spending at least 2% of GDP on defense from 2024.
“With the Zeitenwende, Germany becomes a grown-up country in terms of security policy,” said Defense Minister Boris Pistorius when presenting the guidelines, the first since 2011, when Berlin suspended conscription.
Pistorius called the document Berlin’s response to a new reality, as Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has brought war back to Europe and increased the threat level, thus fundamentally changing the role of Germany and the Bundeswehr.
“As the most populous and economically strong country in the heart of Europe, Germany must be the backbone of deterrence and collective defense in Europe,” he said.
German forces needed to be refocused on their primary mission – the reliable defense of Germany and its allies – and be “ready to wage war,” he said.
Germany will increase defense spending
At the annual conference of the German Armed Forces, Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised to significantly increase defense spending in the long term. The aim is to spend 2% of gross domestic product on the army by 2030.
The German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, on Friday (10.11) highlighted the change of course taken after the outbreak of war between Russia and Ukraine to provide Germany with armed forces capable of protecting the country and defending the territory of the Atlantic Alliance (NATO) in the long term. “In the last 18 months, we have readjusted our military culture, the DNA of federal security policy,” said Scholz in his speech at the annual conference of the Bundeswehr, the German armed forces.
The global political situation “confirms the importance and necessity of this change of course”, added the Chancellor, referring to the war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East.
The Chancellor also thanked Defense Minister Boris Pistorius for undertaking necessary structural reforms.
Berlin guarantees sustainable funding
“We have guaranteed sustainable funding for the German army,” he said, referring as an “important first step” to the 100 billion euros in additional funding announced on February 27 last year, which will make it possible to achieve NATO’s goal of providing 2% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for defense spending by 2024, for the first time in more than three decades.
Scholz was referring to the special government fund set up after the Russian invasion of Ukraine to modernize Germany’s armed forces. The war raised questions about the readiness of the Bundeswehr and led several European governments to re-evaluate their defense strategies.
However, added the Chancellor, the change of era brought about by “Russian aggression” requires “a permanent change of course in the long term”.
On the other hand, Olaf Scholz stressed the importance of closer cooperation on arms in Europe, for financial, operational, logistical and alliance policy reasons.