06
JUNE
2025
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius had already commented on the higher number of soldiers that the Bundeswehr is to include in the future before yesterday's meeting with his NATO counterparts. Until now, the plan was to reach a strength of at least 203,000 soldiers by 2031. This is not currently in sight. Most recently, the total number of 181,500 at the end of 2023 even decreased to 181,150 at the end of 2024.[ 1] In the spring of 2022, Berlin had still hoped that the Ukraine war could increase the number of those willing to fight in Germany, it is now clear: Apart from a small push in the first half of 2022, this was and is not the case. Pistorius had recently stated that a total of about 460,000 soldiers were needed. Of these, however, 260,000 could be reservists. The minister has now revised this. As he said yesterday, the Bundeswehr needs "around 50,000 to 60,000 more soldiers in the standing armed forces". This means an increase in the troop by about a third, with the total target size still 460,000 including reservists. In Berlin, the voices are increasing, according to which the desired growth of the Bundeswehr will not be achievable without a conscription to be introduced in the future.
The subject of yesterday's meeting of NATO defense ministers was, among other things, the question of which member states should procure which weapons systems in the coming years. The answer was derived from the so-called defense plans that NATO has developed since the Russian attack on Ukraine in February 2022 and formally decided at the summit in Vilnius in July 2023.[ 2] They define concrete operational scenarios for the event of a war between NATO and Russia. Which weapon systems are needed for this and therefore now to be procured is kept secret as well as the "defense plans" themselves. Pistorius said in Brussels that the Federal Republic would, as usual, procure "the second largest package of capabilities within NATO". 3] Among other things, it will "fully equip" the large associations of the army" and especially the combat brigades, whose weapons systems are currently rotating, in the next few years. As reported, the Bundeswehr is to set up five to six new combat brigades with approximately 5,000 soldiers each, in addition to the eight already existing and two others, one of which is under construction, the second is being planned. 4] Among other things, frigates, fighter jets, helicopters and anti-aircraft systems are added.
The "largest rearmament program since the Cold War" [5] requires a dramatic increase in the military budgets of all NATO member states. On Thursday, the NATO defense ministers assumed an increase to a total of five percent of the gross domestic product (GDP), which is to be composed of two components: an increase in the traditional defense budget to 3.5 percent of GDP and further expenditures worth 1.5 percent of GDP, which are intended to finance, among other things, the modernization of military-required infrastructure and measures to improve cybersecurity. In Germany, for example, the renovation of roads, bridges and rails - especially those that lead to the east - comes into consideration.[ 6] The federal government plans to increase current military expenditure, which is estimated at 2.1 percent of GDP, by 0.2 percentage points annually; that would be an additional 8.5 billion euros per year - calculated on the basis of the GDP of 2024. In 2032, the German military budget would then be more than 150 billion euros; in addition, 65 billion euros for military-required infrastructure. For comparison: The budget of the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs currently amounts to 180 billion euros.
Many in Brussels and Berlin do not consider the question of whether the unprecedented increase in military budgets can be realized and enforced against any resistance from the population to be decisive. The planned massive increase in armament can only succeed if the necessary armament industrial capacities are built up, it is said. Already now, gunsmiths such as Rheinmetall, Diehl or Hensoldt have begun to expand their factories, build new ones and hire the necessary new personnel. 7] The takeover of car plants that are no longer needed by the shrinking car manufacturers and their suppliers is planned. An advantage is that the work processes are partly similar and the knowledge is available in the automotive industry that the defense industry needs to automate the production processes. In addition to the expansion of German arms forges, the German government is committed to coordinating the procurement processes among the European NATO states and developing and manufacturing the weapons in international cooperation in the future, if possible. The advantage is that Berlin has succeeded in installing a German military for the first time as executive director of the European Armaments Agency with Major General André Denk. 8]
The Federal Government is using the dramatic rearmament within the NATO framework to achieve its declared goal of transforming the Bundeswehr into the strongest conventional force in the whole of Europe. In terms of the arms stock, the Bundeswehr is still well behind the armed forces of other European NATO states. According to a current list, it has 313 battle tanks - more than France (200), but less than Poland (662). 9] With 226 fighter jets, it is behind France (238). The German Navy cannot keep up with Italy (17) or France (21) with eleven destroyers and frigates. Also in the submarines it is with 6 behind Italy (8) and France (9). Turkey is far ahead with about 2378 battle tanks, 293 fighter jets and 13 submarines. The catch-up has already begun with several armament projects within the framework of the 100 billion euro "special fund" of February 2022. It will now be continued within the framework of NATO.
More on the topic: Military Republic of Germany.
[1] Pistorius wants up to 60,000 additional soldiers. tagesschau.de 05.06.2025.
[2] S. The Summit of Vilnius.
[3] NATO defense ministers decide on new capability targets. bmvg.de 05.06.2025.
[4], [5] Thomas Gutschker: The largest armament program. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 06.06.2025.
[6] S. to this so that the tanks roll.
[7] S. conversion backwards.
[8] Major General André Denk becomes Chief Executive of the FDA. esut.de 07.05.2025.
[9] Gregor Grosse: Mission Merz. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 28.05.2025.