Global Security Briefing How Will German Rearmament Shape European Security?
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Jan 14, 2026 
Dr. Claudia Major, Senior Vice President for Transatlantic Security at the German Marshall Fund, shares insights on Germany's dramatic shift in defense policy following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. She discusses the ambitious €100 billion rearmament plan, enhancing military capabilities and addressing urgent troop needs. Major highlights the challenges of public support and internal political dynamics affecting defense investments. Additionally, she examines Germany's evolving role in European security and its deepening defense cooperation with the UK.
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2022 Shift Rewrote German Defence Priorities
- Russia's 2022 invasion triggered a near-revolution in German defence thinking and policy.
- Germany shifted from solidarity-driven engagement to threat-driven military investment and commitments.
NATO Targets Drive German Procurement
- Germany is prioritising NATO commitments, troop increases and capability targets as the organising logic of rearmament.
- Urgent purchases focus on ammunition, air defence and long-range strike capability.
Personnel Surge Sparks Conscription Debate
- Germany plans a large expansion of manpower, creating an unprecedented recruitment and retention challenge.
- That expansion fuels the intense national debate over reactivating conscription or creating broad national service.