Germany has officially announced a comprehensive new military strategy designed to completely overhaul its armed forces. The German government presented its detailed military plan to the Bundestag which plans to create the most powerful conventional military force in Europe by 2039.
Massive Expansion of Active and Reserve Forces
The main goal of this large-scale project requires organizations to hire more staff members than their current capacity. The German Federal Ministry of Defence has established a plan which will increase active military strength of the Bundeswehr from 185,000 soldiers to 260,000 soldiers by the middle of the 2030s.
The reserve force will expand from its current strength of 60,000 members to 200,000 members during the same period. The function of reservists in this system will receive a critical improvement. They will function at equal status to active forces during all national emergencies instead of acting as emergency backup for national defense.
Through total integration, the German military will acquire a powerful fighting force that consists of 460,000 fully prepared soldiers. The project has started to show its initial success because military leaders have reported that there was a 10 percent increase in recruitment numbers and a 20 percent rise in total applications compared to the previous year.
A Strategic Shift to Counter Emerging Global Threats
The Federal Government has changed its entire approach to defense which goes beyond increasing the number of soldiers. The newly published strategy explicitly identifies Russia as the primary threat to national and regional security.
Germany will stop its previous practice of studying global security threats as separate issues according to its new defense doctrine. The military will now organize its operations as one continuous theater which includes NATO territory, the Middle East, and the Indo-Pacific region.
The current strategic perspective guarantees that Europe will maintain its largest army which can manage complex multi-regional conflicts while working together with its global partners.
