US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper called on German counterpart Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer to increase military spending. He made a corresponding statement at the meeting in Washington. Also, the Pentagon chief noted that “without American support” the FRG could not have destroyed the Berlin Wall.

“We believe that Germany, as the owner of the largest economy in Europe, is in a good position to contribute to expanding the alliance’s capabilities,” said Esper.

In response, Kramp-Karrenbauer said that Germany remains “committed to its NATO commitments - for example, in terms of sharing the financial burden and developing military capabilities.”

“They do not pay”

After the attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001, NATO countries agreed to spend at least 2% of GDP on defense. At the Wales Summit in September 2014, the leaders of the North Atlantic Alliance agreed that a 2% target should be reached by 2024.

Meanwhile, German spending on the army does not meet NATO standards. In 2020, the share of the German military budget in the GDP structure will be 1.37%. In the next four years, this figure will increase to 1.5%. Berlin expects to reach a level of 2% only in the long term. In 2018, the Bundeswehr received € 39 billion, in 2019 - € 47 billion, and in 2020 it will be allocated € 49.67 billion.

However, in June, Welt am Sonntag announced that in the coming years the military budget of Germany, on the contrary, could decrease. According to newspaper sources, the budget plan for 2021-2023 involves a reduction in defense spending by 2023 to € 43.9 billion.

From statements by German officials, it follows that Germany is not giving up the “financial burden” of the alliance. However, de facto Germany ignores the obligation to increase military spending.

Washington has repeatedly criticized Berlin for its reluctance to comply with NATO requirements. In April, US President Donald Trump said he had "warm feelings for Germany, but she did not pay what she had to pay." Later, the head of the White House noted that the United States allegedly defended "Germany from Russia, and Russia receives billions of dollars from Germany." Thus, Trump unequivocally hinted at the inadmissibility of implementing the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.

At the same time, the American president is confident that Germany "can increase defense spending immediately." In addition, back in July 2018, he wrote on Twitter that he would seek to increase the German military budget and defense spending of other NATO members to 4% of GDP.

Alliance Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg supports Americans' dissatisfaction with the financial policies of Berlin. He believes that after the Cold War, Germany should not have carried out a massive reduction in defense spending. Due to the cuts in the military budget, the Bundeswehr cannot boast of the combat readiness required by the standards of the alliance, Stoltenberg complains.

According to the Bundestag, the German army is indeed experiencing many problems. A significant part of the aircraft fleet, armored vehicles and the fleet is in malfunctioning, and the production of new types of weapons has stalled. The reason for the unsatisfactory state of the armed forces is the lack of spare parts and finances.

  • The meeting of the heads of the US Department of Defense and the Federal Republic of Germany Mark Esper and Annegreta Kramp-Karrenbauer
  • © Lisa Ferdinando / DOD

The current Minister of Defense is considered to be a supporter of the increase in Germany’s appropriations for the needs of the Armed Forces. Kramp-Karrenbauer has held this position since July 17, replacing Ursula von der Leyen, who also supported the policy of increasing the military budget of Germany.

After being appointed to work in the Bundeswehr, Kramp-Karrenbauer stated that the German government needs to revise the current plan to increase military spending. In her opinion, Berlin should fulfill the obligation to reach the 2% GDP target by 2024.

In an interview with RT, Fedor Basov, a researcher at the IMEMO European Political Studies Department, noted that there is no unity in the political elite of Germany on the issue of increasing military spending. He predicts that the budget of the Bundeswehr will grow in “absolute value”, but the share in the GDP structure that Trump and Stoltenberg want to see by 2024 will not be achieved.

“The situation is not simple, and Berlin’s plans may eventually change due to the position of the SPD and the left parties opposing the buildup of military spending. If we talk about current trends, they allow us to conclude that the military budget of Germany will increase, but obviously not at the pace that is expected in the US and NATO, ”says Basov.

"Financial Injection"

Germany is far from the only country that ignores the fulfillment of the financial obligations of the North Atlantic Alliance. In June, Stoltenberg said that “this year the military budgets of at least eight NATO nations will reach 2% of GDP” (from 29 alliance countries. - RT ).

In communication with reporters, the organization’s secretary general admits that the defense spending plan is not reachable on time. In particular, in November last year, Stoltenberg said that not all members of the military bloc are working to increase defense spending to 2% of GDP. According to him, this level can be achieved by most states only “within a decade”.

According to Jens Stoltenberg, in 2019 the total defense spending of the alliance countries, excluding the United States, should grow by 3.9%. Thus, NATO members will spend more than $ 1 trillion on the needs of the army. This is about 20 times more than the Russian military budget.

The United States is an absolute leader. They account for more than 70% of all appropriations. Washington is unhappy with this proportion. Donald Trump constantly accuses the European allies of dependency - unwillingness to pay for the security that, in his opinion, is provided by American troops stationed in Europe.

In Moscow, the position of the head of the White House is explained by the desire to increase arms sales.

“Washington demands that the Allies purchase weapons from the United States. $ 100 billion annually is a good financial injection into the US military-industrial complex (military-industrial complex. - RT ), ”Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko commented earlier on US claims.

In a conversation with RT, Vadim Kozyulin, a professor at the Academy of Military Sciences and a senior fellow at the Center for Political Studies of Russia, said that Europe, for “various reasons”, was not interested in increasing defense spending.

"The US is putting pressure on the allies under the pretext of a" Russian threat. " From the lips of European politicians we also often hear statements about the danger that Moscow allegedly poses. But in fact, in Europe and, above all, in Germany and France, they realize that no military threat comes from the Russian Federation. For this reason, the US allies have no good reason to increase defense spending. Almost all Russophobic shouts are political speculation and propaganda, ”said Kozyulin.

  • NATO Furious Hawk 2019 exercises
  • © nato.int

At the same time, the expert drew attention to the fact that the problem of dependency, which Trump complains about, is still relevant. Europeans are accustomed to “take away” from active participation in the alliance’s missions and pay insufficient attention to maintaining the combat readiness of their own armed forces, relying on the “American security umbrella”.

“Article 5 of the NATO Charter (regulates the principle of collective defense. - RT ) to some extent played a cruel joke with the Americans. After the Cold War, Europeans have reduced military spending to a minimum and now stubbornly do not want to increase spending. The only exception is the conditional Russophobic camp, represented by Poland, Great Britain and the Baltic countries. Everyone else does not want to redraw the budget and aggravate relations with Moscow, ”said Kozyulin.

Fyodor Basov, a researcher at the IMEMO European Political Studies Department, believes that Europe is more interested in resolving internal socio-economic issues than in increasing military spending. In addition, Germany and France do not hide the fact that they are trying to create a "defense space" separate from the USA.

“The German government does not abandon the course towards the modernization of the Bundeswehr. The country's leadership is well aware of the difficulties that the army is experiencing. However, the solution to the accumulated problems in Berlin is seen in strengthening cooperation with France and other European states, and not with the United States, ”Basov concluded.