How Germany became a focus on war at a seismic moment for Europe

“Do you think you can trust Putin?” Asks German brigadeiro general brigadeiro Ralf Hammerstein with a ironic smile.

It is a rhetorical question to which most of Europe would give the same answer – no.

While the Trump administration continues to look for an agreement to end the war in Ukraine – an agreement that may end up being more favorable to Moscow than Kiev – Europeans, for the first time in decades, are focusing on their own military power.

Nowhere is this change as prominent as in Germany. Their armed forces, known as Bundeswehr, have been victims of years of sub -timing – but this is about to change.

The presumed Chancellor Friedrich Merz has decided that the time has come for Germany to invest in its Armed Forces, to levels never seen since the Cold War.

Germany has just approved an important renovation of its constitutional debt brake, unlocking thousands of millions of euros in financing. A model shared with CNN suggested that, in a period of 10 years, with Germany spending 3.5% of GDP, this amount could rise to 600 billion euros.

CNN spent the day with Bundeswehr in an unveiled place in downtown Germany, while five NATO allies participated in training exercises. The simulation consisted of an attack from a “foreign opponent” to another member of the alliance.

Hammerstein remembers CNN, from where the simulation is made, the power of the country: “Germany is a capable nation in Europe and has to be a partner for other nations. We are a responsible partner in Europe and a great nation. We have to take a step forward and that’s what we are going to do.”

The large -scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 was a seismic moment for the continent. The war had returned and the deaner that had existed since the fall of the iron curtain was over.

In Berlin, he began the known period in German as “Zeitenwende” – or “turning point.” In fact, it was the beginning of the effort to again increase military expenses.

Olaf Scholz, the now outgoing chancellor, said the country needed a new defense and security policy – and that Bundeswehr needed special attention.

Created a single background of 100 billion euros for a “comprehensive investment” in Bundeswehr. To do so, Scholz had to change the fundamental law – essentially, the country’s constitution.

Although this fund was well welcomed, the application of the policy was weak, and the disputes and internal struggles in the government eventually led Scholz to lose their job.

Now Merz is trying to increase the zeitenwende.

Sudha David-Wilp, senior member of German Marshall Fund of the United States, a reflection group, explains to CNN that “Merz and [sua] Coalition need to accelerate this … There is now a lot of competition between great powers and Hard Power is the currency of international politics. ”

While the simulated attack unfolded in Berlin, Merz outlined his new vision to the Armed Forces. “We believe in a misleading security in our society for at least a decade, probably much more … This is now the paradigm shift in the defense policy that we face.”

Since the middle of the Cold War, Germany’s military expenses in a percentage of GDP have dramatically decreased. With a 4.9% peak in 1963, it fell to a historic minimum in 2005 of only 1.1%.

It was not until 2024 that Germany reached the nato threshold of 2% defense expenses – the first time in more than 30 years.

Hammerstein acknowledges that “all the armies of the world, in history and also in the future, will always say they don’t have enough.” But it equates the current situation of Germany to a dependence on the “dividend of peace” of the 1990s, which “was a decrease for all the military in the world, especially in Europe.”

Germany is now on the good way. Last year, for the “first time, we were able to spend the NATO criteria of 2% of GDP and we will spend money additionally, such as the 100 billion euros we did in 2022, and this will continue, and the new chancellor is absolutely dedicated to it.”

Merz may be committed to reinforcing Germany’s projected military power and placing his defense on a safer base, but a report by the parliamentary commission to the Armed Forces, Eva Högl, suggested that the work to be done was significant.

Last week, the report stressed that Bundeswehr did not meet recruitment objectives, had an aged combat force, lacking barracks and basic infrastructure. Addressing to journalists when the report launches, the commissioner said that “Bundeswehr still has very little of everything.”

In 2018, Germany pledged to increase its permanent forces to 203,000 by 2025 – a goal that was later reviewed by 2031. As the report states, “Bundeswehr once again failed to achieve its original goal.” Högl added that Bundeswehr’s current combat force is 181,174.

Asked how to reach this number, Hammerstein, who enlisted as a recruit in 1992, appeals to a period of military service. Germany officially suspended compulsory military service in 2011.

“I was convinced by the law to enlist myself in the army. So I think there has to be some kind of service to increase the number of staff the way we want,” says Hammerstein. “It will not be overnight – but the increase we will see … from this year.”

The Högl report also highlighted the age of the army, saying that the military and women are “getting older and older.” The average age in 2019 was 32.4 years, but now increased to 34.

Perhaps the most condemnatory section of the report came with an attached invoice. It said that 67 billion euros was needed for infrastructure projects and described barracks and properties as “still in disastrous state.”

For Hammerstein, however, this is not always money. The Brigadier General insists that Germany has a solid platform to launch itself, saying: “It’s a quality issue and what I see here during training is that we have a good substance. We have highly motivated soldiers… and that keeps me very optimistic that the substance is good, and now we have to increase it.”

There is also a change in the national mindset compared to Bundeswehr. Although the Germans are usually very sensitive to the image of their Armed Forces, especially given the country’s history, polls suggest that many now have a more positive opinion.

A poll carried out by the German Public Channel ARD in March, revealed that 66% of respondents believe it is correct to increase defense expenses and Bundeswehr, while 31% say expenses should stay or be reduced.

59% of respondents agree that Germany should significantly increase its debt to “address the tasks that are prevented, especially in the field of defense and infrastructure.”

Merz is confident that he is putting Germany on the right track for a safer and more prosperous future.

“Germany is back,” he said a week ago in Berlin. “Germany is making a significant contribution to the defense of freedom and peace in Europe.”