“We want to create a Bundeswehr strongest conventional army in the European Unionas befits a country of our size and responsibility.” With these words, the chancellor Friedrich Merz they agreed to a German military turning point, aiming to equip themselves with the most powerful armed forces on the continent to face what they defined as “a new era of threats”. Nearly eighty years after the end of the Second World War, Berlin is archiving the taboos of the past and preparing an unprecedented arsenal aimed at reasserting Germany’s strategic centrality, while Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius warned that «saying that is not a worry our way of life is in danger».
In its “German Operational Plan”, the Bundeswehr targets to grow to 460,000 units by 2029, with 80,000 active troops and about 120,000 reserve troops, to ensure a force that can be mobilized quickly. Plus a massive program investment in weaponslogistics and technology, designed to bring the German army back to the top of Europe in terms of operational capabilities. “This is not a war plan, but rather a war plan war prevention», explained Lt. Gen Alexander SolfrankHead of TNI Operational Command. This project fits into the framework of “Zeitenwende” (literally “turning point of the times”, a term first used in a political sense by the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on February 27, 2022), which shows Germany’s change of direction after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As Merz stated in his speech to the Bundestag, “Our freedom, peace and security are in serious danger” and “today it is no longer enough to simply react to crises: we must be ready to prevent them.” Strategically, Berlin is destined to become NATO’s operational center in Europe and the main guarantor of European security. A new shopping program is headed in that direction, thanks to extraordinary funding 100 billion euros established after 2022, the agreement will allow the purchase of new armored vehicles, air defense systems, long-range missiles and fighter aircraft.
According to government documents seen by PoliticalBerlin prepares aMilitary expansion of 377 billion eurosthe largest since 1945. The plan includes 561 Skyranger 30 anti-aircraft systems, 14 IRIS-T SLM batteries, 396 SLM missiles, 300 IRIS-T LFK cruise missiles and 400 Tomahawk Block Vb, as well as 3 Typhon mobile launchers. Starting in 2026, Germany will also host the Dark Eagle hypersonic missile, capable of reaching central Russia in 7 minutes: a symbol of the increasingly autonomous deterrence of the United States. The new “Force Model” of the Alliance provides the possibility to mobilize up to 800,000 people in 180 days in case of emergencyand Germany had to support the greater part of this contingent. Pistorius underlined that «Russia is preparing for another war» and Europe must be ready. Worse still, Sollfranck said he believed that conflict with Russia was inevitable and therefore, “a full-scale attack on NATO could occur in the near future”. The Bundeswehr has begun internal reforms aimed at making the command more efficient and improving logistics, long considered its weak point. However, structural obstacles remain: a lack of recruitment, outdated infrastructure, and a supply chain that is still too slow.
The new German military protagonistism reminds us of the rearmament of the 1930s that prepared the Wehrmacht forOperation Barbarossabut this did not leave Europe indifferent. In Italy, Minister of Defense Guido Crosettoduring an episode of the show 5 minutesbroadcast on RAI 1, pointed to Berlin as an example to follow, calling for major reforms to the armed forces and an increase at least 30,000 unitsexplicitly remember German numbers. Rome, like Berlin, is trying to redefine its strategy amid pressure from NATO and budget constraints. While the arms race developed in Europe, Germany presided over a season that, despite postwar caution, brought the logic of power back into the limelight. After German history, Marx’s warnings resonate 18th Brumaire Louis Bonaparte: History always repeats itself twicethe first as tragedy and the second as farce. Then, in 1941, the invasion of the Soviet Union led to Germany’s destruction; Today, rearmament justified by the threats on the table risks pushing the Old Continent once again to the brink of the abyss.
