In his inaugural address as chancellor, Friedrich Merz pledged to allocate “all necessary financial resources” to transform Germany’s military into Europe’s strongest army. Speaking to lawmakers at the Bundestag, Germany's national parliament, Merz asserted, "Strength deters aggression; weakness invites aggression," highlighting the need for increased defense capabilities amid growing threats from Russia.
Merz underscored that Germany must take on more responsibility for the continent's defense. He stated that the federal government would ensure all financial resources required for the German army to achieve the status of the strongest conventional army in Europe.
His coalition government has enacted a reform of the country’s strict debt rules before officially assuming office, aimed at enhancing the armed forces after years of insufficient investment. This reform allows defense spending exceeding 1% of GDP to be exempt from the constraints of the debt brake, which is Germany's long-standing constitutional limit on deficits.
Previously, the debt brake had limited the ability of Germany's former government to strengthen national security and to meet NATO’s target of allocating 2% of GDP for defense expenditures. After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, former Chancellor Olaf Scholz indicated that the reforms would likely position the German army as “the largest conventional army” among NATO’s European allies.
The German military is projected to expand its personnel to 203,000 by 2031. However, according to the annual report from the German ombudsman for the armed forces, the number of soldiers remained stagnant at approximately 181,000 by the end of the last year.
