Thorsten Benner
The incoming German government, rattled by the prospect of U.S. President Donald Trump withdrawing security guarantees, is preparing a fundamental readjustment of its defense posture. The new coalition of Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) and Social Democrats (SPD) has already agreed to push for changes to the debt brake that would pave the way to dramatically higher military spending. Germany’s likely next chancellor, CDU leader Friedrich Merz, stated that “in view of the threats to our freedom and peace on our continent,” the government’s new motto needs to be “whatever it takes.”
A litmus test for how serious these efforts are is whether the new government will pursue a Plan B for a possible end to the U.S. nuclear security umbrella for Germany and Europe. Berlin needs an ambitious nuclear policy rethink that includes a push to recreate nuclear sharing at the European level—with the continent’s nuclear powers, France and the U.K.—to deter Russia and other adversaries. It is also essential for Germany to invest in civilian nuclear research to maintain nuclear latency as a hedge. Fortunately, Merz has signaled willingness to do both.
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