German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s push to build Europe’s strongest conventional army by 2039 has reignited anxieties among neighbours including France over defence industrial nationalism, according to reporting by theguardian.com.
German rearmament strains bilateral ties with France
The conservative German government released a defense strategy in April outlining a path to establish the continent’s most powerful conventional force within the next decade and a half. However, this sudden surge in rearmament has strained bilateral ties. Berlin scrapped two major defense cooperation projects with France—a next-generation fighter aircraft and a shared tank development program.
This domestic focus aligns with broader European trends. Andrius Kubilius, the European Union’s defense commissioner, notes that up to 80% of European defense acquisitions are made through direct awards to national prime contractors without competitive tenders, utilizing security exemptions within EU treaties. Both France and the United Kingdom maintain fiercely protective stances over their respective national arms manufacturers.
Germany stations permanent combat brigade in Lithuania
Despite industrial friction, Germany remains heavily integrated into collective Western security frameworks. Berlin stands as the largest provider of financial and military assistance to Ukraine, coordinates with the UK on deep precision strike weapons, and has stationed a permanent combat brigade in Lithuania to secure NATO’s eastern flank. The deployment to Lithuania marks the first time Germany has permanently stationed troops outside its borders since 1945.
Liana Fix, a historian and senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, argues in her book Germany Rearmed: The Return of War and the End of Illusions that Berlin must anchor its growing military capabilities within joint European structures. Fix suggests issuing joint defense bonds and integrating the Bundeswehr more deeply into multinational armed forces to prevent any destabilizing hegemonic divide.
Economic stagnation and AfD rise pressure Chancellor Merz
Chancellor Merz faces severe domestic constraints, including economic stagnation across core manufacturing sectors like automotive and chemicals, alongside rising costs of living and declining personal popularity. These pressures make the chancellor resistant to shared debt mechanisms like eurobonds. Simultaneously, the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party currently leads national opinion polls, campaigning against military aid for Ukraine and advocating for a complete German withdrawal from the European Union.
Germany targets strongest conventional army by 2039
What is the timeline for Germany’s military expansion?
Chancellor Friedrich Merz released a defense strategy in April setting a target to build Europe’s strongest conventional army by the year 2039.
How much has Germany allocated for recent military acquisitions?
The German government notified parliament of planned arms purchases worth €123.3bn, with the vast majority directed toward national and US industries rather than shared European programs.
Where has Germany deployed troops outside its borders?
Germany has stationed a permanent combat brigade in Lithuania to protect NATO’s eastern flank, marking the nation’s first permanent military deployment outside its territory since 1945.
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