Berlin, May 14 (EFE).- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged Wednesday to transform Germany’s armed forces into the “strongest” in Europe amid Russia’s war in Ukraine and the gradual pullback of the United States from the continent.
“The federal government will provide all financial resources that the German army needs to become the strongest army in Europe in conventional terms,” Merz said in his first address as chancellor to the Bundestag, Germany’s lower house of parliament.
Merz described this objective as “a top priority” for his government and a natural responsibility for the EU’s most populous and economically powerful nation. He said Germany’s partners expect it to play a stronger role in European defense.
The chancellor emphasized the need to improve operational readiness and increase troop numbers. As a first step, he announced plans to introduce a new, more appealing voluntary military service.
He said that there are many young people in Germany who want to take responsibility for the country’s defense and security. “We want to encourage and support this,” he said.
Merz said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has shown that Europe must be able to defend itself. “Strength deters aggression; weakness invites aggression,” he warned.
He also promised deeper defense cooperation with European allies and urged them to take on greater responsibility within NATO and the EU, fulfilling their commitments without exception.
Merz now has a new legal framework allowing Germany to ramp up defense spending to unprecedented levels. In March, a constitutional reform was passed through an agreement among conservatives, Social Democrats, and the Greens, lifting the debt ceiling for military expenditures.
Under the reform, defense spending above one percent of GDP is now exempt from Germany’s strict “debt brake” fiscal rules.
Germany first reached NATO’s minimum 2 percent defense spending target under former Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Merz has pledged to maintain that level. EFE
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