Berlin. In view of the Russian attack on Ukraine, pressure is growing on Germany in NATO to do more for its defense and the defense of the alliance. This applies both financially and in terms of personnel. The German NATO general Christian Badia now told the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” that it is not enough for Germany to provide 2 percent of annual economic output for this. “It has to go towards 3 percent.” Badia is responsible for the further development of the alliance in NATO.
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The background to the statements is NATO’s current plans that five to six more brigades would have to be added to the ten combat brigades of the German land forces that have been promised so far from 2031. Accordingly, the number of combat brigades in the alliance should increase from 82 to 131. A German brigade consists of around 5,000 men and women.
“Longer journey of about ten years”
The chairman of the Defense Committee in the Bundestag, Marcus Faber (FDP), told the editorial network Germany (RND) on Friday after a meeting of the committee: “It is foreseeable that NATO’s demands on all 32 member states will increase – and thus also on Germany . So it will no longer be enough to spend 2 percent of annual economic output on defense. It has to be more like 3 percent.”
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There also needs to be an increase in personnel, the FDP politician continued. “If you assume that the number of combat brigades in the alliance is to increase from 82 to 131 and that Germany would have a proportional share in this, then the army would need five divisions instead of the current three divisions with 65,000 soldiers,” he said. “This would correspond to approximately 100,000 soldiers.” However, the planning has not yet been completed. And implementation doesn’t have to happen overnight. “That would be a longer journey of about ten years,” says Faber.
NATO pioneer: A2 in Lower Saxony is a model for future military convoys
Lower Saxony will play a central role in NATO military convoys in the future. The alliance tested the first so-called model corridor for troop transfers in Europe on the A2 with the Bundeswehr. There is a particular focus on a rest stop near Peine.
This year, the defense budget includes 51.9 billion euros, plus around 19.8 billion euros from the special fund of 100 billion euros anchored in the Basic Law in 2022. Next year the budget is expected to increase to 53.2 billion euros. However, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD), who will come to the committee on Wednesday, has emphasized several times that the medium-term financial planning is not enough and that significantly more money is already needed. The medium-term financial planning envisages that the budget will be increased sharply to around 80 billion euros in 2028 – when the special fund is used up. In fact, the decision on this lies with the next Bundestag, which will be elected in 2025 and whose majority is uncertain.
Increase of almost 20 percent
The situation is similarly critical when it comes to staff. The Ministry of Defense currently states the strength of the force at around 181,500. Although it is expected to grow to 203,000, a new light conscription program is intended to help with this, in which men must first provide written information as to whether they would be willing to serve.
However, due to demographic developments and the increasing labor shortage in the economy, experts doubt that growth will be successful. Based on Defense Committee Chairman Faber’s calculation, 203,000 soldiers would not be enough for NATO planning anyway. The Bundeswehr would then need around 15,000 additional soldiers. That would be an increase of almost 20 percent compared to the current situation.
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According to RND information, the Ministry of Defense announced that the federal government classified “the fulfillment of NATO capability goals as a national priority” and would “specifically cover the Bundeswehr’s considerable need to catch up.”
