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Defense Minister Pistorius faces the difficult task of making the Bundeswehr combat-ready. The population supports his actions.
Berlin – The European security landscape has fundamentally changed as a result of the conflict triggered by the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. In addition, there is growing concern about the possible security policy consequences of a potential second term in office for Donald Trump in the USA. Given this new situation, has the attitude of German citizens also changed?
Just three days after the start of the Ukraine war, on February 27, 2022, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) announced a “turning point” in German foreign and security policy in a special session of the German Bundestag. He emphasized that the world is “no longer the same” and that Germany must therefore invest more in its security and ensure its defense capability. This requires “a great national effort”. His goal was to create “a powerful, ultra-modern, progressive Bundeswehr that reliably protects us.” In order to achieve this, Scholz announced the establishment of a special fund of “one-off 100 million euros” for “necessary investments and armaments projects” by the Bundeswehr.
The Bundeswehr was in a desolate state for a long time – Pistorius wants to implement the turning point
Despite the anchoring of this special fund in the German Basic Law in June 2022, which Scholz described as “the most far-reaching turnaround in German security policy since the founding of the Bundeswehr in 1955,” the implementation of this project was rather hesitant. The then Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) was slow to implement this change. When she left office in January 2023, the Bundeswehr was still in a desolate state: there was a lack of personnel, material and functional equipment. Lambrecht had to face constant criticism until she finally resigned after numerous scandals.
Her successor, Boris Pistorius (SPD), promised when he took office to bring a breath of fresh air to the Defense Ministry. Although, like many of his predecessors, he was initially viewed as unsuitable for the office, he was able to convince the skeptics and quickly became Germany's most popular politician. He is now even being considered as a possible successor to Scholz, although he denies such ambitions.
There is a shortage of personnel and equipment – a huge task for the defense minister
However, Pistorius faces an enormous challenge. Recently, only half of military transport aircraft, Tornados and Eurofighter aircraft were operational. All six submarines were out of commission. Soldiers complained of a lack of weapons and ammunition and even thermal underwear for the extreme winter weather. Pistorius therefore does not want to be satisfied with a one-off increase in the defense budget of 100 billion euros. At the Munich Security Conference, he announced that if necessary, Germany would spend “3 percent or perhaps even 3.5 percent” of GDP on defense.
However, the number of soldiers has fallen to a historic low of 180,000. About 20,000 new recruits are needed just to replace the soldiers who leave each year – not to mention expanding the size of the force. Politicians are desperately looking for solutions: from reintroducing conscription, which was abolished in 2011, to one accelerated application for citizenship for those willing to serve, all possible options will be considered.
Germans support Pistorius – 39 percent would even take up arms themselves
But how does the population feel about these measures? According to surveys by the Center for Military History and Social Sciences of the Bundeswehr, the Bundeswehr now enjoys high levels of support among the population. Positive attitudes towards the armed forces reached an all-time high in 2023. 82 percent of respondents recently expressed positive opinions about the Bundeswehr, although this value has never been below 75 percent in the last two decades, as the data shows. In addition, 57 percent of survey participants support financially strengthening the Bundeswehr. At least 39 percent of those surveyed, two percentage points less than last year, would be prepared to defend Germany with armed force.
Germany's basic membership in NATO was also supported by 70 percent of survey participants, only three percentage points less than in 2022. The population's perceived threat to security has declined somewhat. In 2022, almost half of those surveyed felt personally threatened by war (45 percent); this value fell to a third (34 percent) in 2023. However, concern about immediate tensions between the West and Russia remains high at 55 percent.
The turning point must also be financed – a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine war is preferred
It appears that a significant majority of the population supports the line of the federal government and the defense minister. Despite this approval, however, it should not be ignored that the people in Germany primarily prefer a strengthened diplomatic approach to ending the Ukraine conflict. In the ARD “Germany Trend” in January, 51 percent of respondents said that diplomatic efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine did not go far enough for them.
Furthermore, higher military spending inevitably means either an increase in debt or cuts in other areas. Even if, as SPD General Secretary Kevin Kühnert recently emphasized, social security and territorial security are considered “two inseparable sides of the same coin,” there is a risk that savings will be made elsewhere. Green Party leader Ricarda Lang therefore spoke out in favor of taking on new debt. The financing “cannot come from the current budget alone”. In contrast, the FDP defense politician Alexander Müller would like to “set new priorities in the normal budget”.
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