Defense spending: That's how expensive NATO plans are for Germany

display

New figures from NATO headquarters: last year, eleven of the 30 NATO countries met the alliance's targets for the first time and spent two percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) on defense.

Overall, the member states excluding the USA increased their spending by 3.9 percent in real terms.

And: Since 2014 Canada and the European NATO allies have increased their national defense budgets by a total of 190 billion dollars.

"Despite the economic effects of Covid-19, 2020 was the sixth year in a row in which defense spending increased in the European allies and in Canada," praised NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg.

And what about in Germany?

Berlin increased spending in 2020 compared to the previous year by a remarkable 8.4 percent - to 51.6 billion euros.

That is an increase of 34.7 percent compared to 2014. Nevertheless, the Americans and the other NATO allies are not satisfied.

The goal that all members set themselves in 2014 to invest at least two percent of GDP in defense should actually be achieved as early as 2024.

Source: WORLD infographic

display

Germany will clearly miss the mark, but now wants to reach it by 2031.

In any case, the pressure from Washington will not ease.

In the end, informed circles in the EU and NATO expect that German defense spending will rise even more drastically than previously assumed.

Because the new EU defense initiative Pesco to improve Europe's defense capability is likely to require additional billions in order to achieve its goals.

"This includes not only better equipment with personnel and material, but also a significant improvement in military mobility," said an EU diplomat.

Germany will bear the brunt of the burden

Specifically: In order for the West to be able to move quickly towards Moscow with heavy military equipment such as battle tanks in the event of a defense, there must be well-developed and resilient roads, rails and bridges in Europe.

The main burden will probably have to be borne by the largest EU country: Germany.

display

Because the money from the common EU budget alone will not be enough.

The billions in costs for Germany are likely to go on an extra bill - it comes on top of the high billions for the NATO target of two percent.

In Berlin and Brussels it has long been recognized that the new US President Joe Biden is less vocal than his predecessor Donald Trump in calling for higher defense spending.

He would have every reason to make the allies more accountable: with around 685 billion euros (3.7 percent of GDP), Washington spent around 2.4 times as much money on defense last year as all the other 29 NATO Countries together.

display

Still, Biden chooses a different strategy.

While the US president has publicly formulated clear expectations with a view to China or the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline, he does not insist externally on NATO's two percent target.

Last fall, Derek Chollet, chief advisor and European expert at the US State Department, said that this demand would only split NATO.

Biden is doing it differently: he signals in Brussels that the Americans recognize the Europeans as central allies and want to shape geopolitics with them.

The common goal is to put Beijing and Moscow's increasing aggression and claims to power in their place.

Biden's outstretched hand makes it much more difficult for Europeans than Trump's threats and allegations to refuse to continue military spending.

It becomes uncomfortable.

Especially since it is becoming increasingly clear on both sides of the Atlantic that Americans and Europeans are even more dependent on each other than in times of the Cold War due to the rise of China and Russia's global interest policy.

A clear division of tasks should develop in the coming years: The European states will in future pay more attention to the threat from Russia and the USA will focus more on the Pacific region.

This division of labor will cost Europeans significantly more than before.

In addition, if the Europeans are serious about a new “New Deal” with the US and more cooperation on trade and climate issues, they must also deliver on defense spending.

A study by the renowned military experts Heinrich Brauss and Joachim Krause shows how strong the threat is now.

The authors emphasize that after a long break, Moscow is again investing more heavily in precise, nuclear-capable medium-range weapons.

Behind this is a "strategic concept of the Russian military and political leadership, which aims to wage wars on the European periphery and bring them to a successful conclusion".

A bleak scenario.