Name: The German Military will become Europe's most powerful - Here is Why
Uploaded: 2024-06-09T23:27:03.000Z
Duration: 5 min 15 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

fighter jets and helicopters that don't fly, standard issue assault rifles that don't shoot straight, and shortages in ammunition, boots, and even underwear during a NATO mission in Lithuania.

These are the headlines that the once feared German military are currently making.

Not to mention the hundreds of millions of euros that went to consultants in an effort to clean up the army's mess, with very little to show for it.

German high-ranking officials are raising their concerns, and so are NATO allies, where statements such as these are not uncommon.

Ever since the Cold War ended in 1991, Germany has allowed its military to deteriorate.

And this is somewhat understandable, as Germany was busy integrating the West with the East, which posed great economic and social challenges.

Over the last 30 years, there was simply very little incentive to have a powerful military, as Germany doesn't share a border with potential aggressors like Russia, NATO, and especially the US, was there for protection, and unlike the US and the UK, Germany had very few overseas commitments, and there was very little appetite for a large military among the population, who still remember the horrors of World War II.

But now, overnight, everything has changed.

Only three days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, made a shocking announcement, declaring that Germany will massively increase its defense spending, and meet the 2% NATO benchmark.

This was met by applause in Parliament, and surveys already show that 75% of Germans support this decision.

Let's have a look at defense spending across the globe last year in 2021.

As you can see, Germany spent 52.8 billion dollars, sitting at 7th in the world ranking list, slightly ahead of France, but significantly behind the UK and Russia.

But if we compare percentage of GDP, Germany ranks much lower.

Of the 20 biggest military spenders, Germany comes in 15th, as they only spend 1.4% of their GDP on their army.

Many have criticized this lack of spending, as it is far below the NATO target of 2%.

However, once Germany hits the 2% target, things will look very different.

Because of Germany's strong economy, military expenditure would rise to 76.12 billion dollars, putting Germany into 3rd place, ahead of Russia and the UK, making them the frontrunner within the EU and Europe by quite some distance.

And German politicians have said as much, clearly stating that this is the intent.

In an effort to modernize the military more quickly, Olaf Scholz has also dedicated a one-time special fund of over 100 billion euros to German defense.

This is a lot of money, but spend doesn't necessarily equal military might.

The UK, France and Russia are still far ahead when it comes to military strength.

Here we can see the comparison between these nations.

While Germany does have a significant number of soldiers, aircraft and tanks, it only has a very small presence on the sea.

France and the UK do have a considerable navy, with multiple destroyers, submarines and even three aircraft carriers in between them.

And well, then there's Russia, who just has a lot of everything.

As for nuclear weapons, in the aftermath of World War II, it was agreed that Germany cannot possess nuclear, biological or chemical weapons.

However, this comparison is somewhat incomplete and flawed, as it does not take into account military modernization, high-tech weapons, logistics, military experience and intelligence.

Whether Germany will become a military superpower also depends on how the money is spent.

Scholz has already hinted at a high-level tech wishlist, such as the F-35 fighter to replace older Tornado aircraft from the 1970s, the future combat air system which is developing together with France, heavy transport helicopters, modernization of air defense missile systems, armed drones, modern warships, etc.

However, as mentioned at the start of the video, Germany still seems to be getting the basics wrong.

Only around 40% of helicopters and 65% of tanks are operational.

A recent German parliamentary report found that only 50% of major military hardware is working properly.

Therefore, money needs to be spent in getting existing equipment up and running first.

And as you may remember from the start of the video, the German Bundeswehr has the reputation of wasting taxpayers' money.

So, will Germany become the new European superpower?

But not until Germany cleans up its current mess and invests the new budget wisely.

But next to the world's superpowers, such as the US and China, even with Germany's new budget, it remains a small player, as it spends way too little.

And this really raises the question, does an EU army make sense?

Check out the videos below to see the reasons for and against an EU army.

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