Germany must want to be a leading power and see military force as a legitimate political tool - six months ago it was hardly imaginable that a chairman of the SPD could make such demands.
But Putin's attack on Ukraine is also forcing social democracy to renounce old beliefs and ideals and face the brutal reality of international politics, which is currently being demonstrated above all, but not only, by the war in Ukraine.
With Klingbeil's speech, the SPD leadership publicly endorsed the course correction announced by Chancellor Scholz in front of the Bundestag.
However, the party chairman rightly suspects that this "alarmed" some in the SPD.
In any case, many older social democrats still cling to the myth of Ostpolitik, which is why Klingbeil also had to call party saint Brandt, albeit now as the advocate of strength.
For the first time, the neighbors fear Germany's weakness
The memory of how comfortable it was to let other countries do the dirty security work, citing Germany's past, is also powerful.
Germany preferred to pursue a “peace policy” as long as it could, which, however, failed miserably in the face of Putin, which Klingbeil also admits.
But will the party follow him when those tough financial and political decisions have to be made that he predicts will come to “leading power Germany”?
So far, the welfare budget has not had to bleed for defense.
And will the chancellor finally deliver the leadership that Klingbeil insistently ordered from him with this speech?
Our neighbors are still waiting.
For the first time, she is not afraid of Germany's strength, but of Germany's weakness.
Klingbeil's speech will not be enough to take away this fear from the allies.
However, she is likely to have raised her expectations of Germany again.