German chancellor pledges to spend 2% of GDP on military into the 2030s

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised the country’s military chiefs he will spend significantly more on defence in the longer term, citing sums in the double-digit billions.

Scholz said a special fund of €100 billion ($107) for the Bundeswehr is only “a first important step,” during a Bundeswehr Conference on Friday.

He was referring to the government’s special fund set up after the Russian invasion of Ukraine to modernize the military. Moscow’s war raised questions about the readiness of Germany’s military and led European governments to reassess their defence strategies.

Scholz on Friday guaranteed 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) would be spent on defence “permanently,” giving a timeframe of the 2020s and 2030s.

The 2% figure is a goal of the NATO defence alliance. To reach this goal, Berlin would have to spend more than €20 billion on defence each year.

Scholz confirmed that Germany would reach’s 2% goal for the first time next year. “We will guarantee this 2% in the long term, throughout the 20s and 30s. I say that very deliberately, because of course some of the things you might order now will be delivered in the 30s.”

Beyond funding, Scholz said, “the central action that follows from the turning point is overcoming the organizational and bureaucratic sluggishness that has slowed down the troops for years.”

“The global political situation confirms how important and necessary this change of course is,” said Scholz, pointing to the Kremlin’s war on Ukraine and also the brutal attacks carried out by Islamist Hamas movement on Israel last month that triggered another war in the Middle East.

Source: dpa