(SeaPRwire) –
By: Julian Holbrooke
Retired U.S. European Command officials have called out Germany’s NATO free ride for decades. For years, Berlin skipped defense spending targets. It relied on American firepower to deter Russia. Now Chancellor Friedrich Merz wants to build Europe’s strongest conventional army. But his public feuds with Donald Trump could derail the whole shift.
Official statements lay out a clear military pivot. German Ambassador to Washington Jens Hanefeld confirmed the shift in an exclusive interview with Digital. Merz’s goal is a Bundeswehr that’s Europe’s top conventional force. The 2025 NATO Hague summit set a 5% of GDP defense target for 2035. Hanefeld says Berlin will hit that well ahead of schedule. It will add nearly 100,000 active-duty soldiers. Germany is already Ukraine’s largest military supporter. Hanefeld noted Germany hosts key U.S. bases: Ramstein Air Base, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, and Grafenwöhr training grounds.
But this shift isn’t just about Russia’s full-scale 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Then-Chancellor Olaf Scholz first called the shift a Zeitenwende, or turning point, in 2022. Merz is now turning that into a long-term buildup. It’s a break from 70 years of post-WWII military restraint. The public spat between Merz and Trump exploded first over Iran policy. Trump accused Merz of being soft on Iran’s nuclear program. Then Merz said he wouldn’t advise his kids to live in the U.S. today. Retired admiral Mark Montgomery says that was unprofessional. He warned the tension could delay long-range strike systems deployments to Germany. The U.S. has also considered cutting troop levels in the country.
Hanefeld pushed back against U.S. critics who say Europe isn’t pulling its weight. Germany has signed 380 contracts worth $33 billion with U.S. defense firms. Its permanent 5,000-troop brigade in Lithuania will be fully operational in three years. Retired admiral Montgomery argued Germany will become the beating heart of Europe’s defense industrial base, not Poland, France, or the UK. Even with the friction, U.S.-German defense cooperation remains strong. The transatlantic balance of power in Europe isn’t just shifting—it’s being rewritten right now.
Author bio: Julian Holbrooke, an overseas international relations analyst who frequently contributes to major European daily newspapers.