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Germany’s military power is on the rise. This time it must be firmly embedded in Europe
Manchester Guardian ^ | Mon 4 May 2026 10.39 EDT | Timothy Garton Ash

Posted on 05/07/2026 3:24:47 AM PDT by Olog-hai

As we mark the 81st anniversary of the end of the second world war in Europe this Friday, 8 May, it’s clear that Germany will again be the leading European military power.

Already next year its defense spending will be as much as that of France and Britain combined — and it is projected to be significantly larger by 2030. The German government’s declared goal is to have the strongest conventional army in Europe. True, France and Britain have nuclear weapons, but that means less money to spend on the rest of defense. So, the question is not “will this happen”? Barring unforeseen developments, it will. The question, particularly on this solemn anniversary, is: how can we ensure that this time the growth of German military power is a positive development for all of Europe? […]

Yet it’s not only the French who are concerned about the prospect of German defense-industrial dominance. The Polish right is hysterical about it. Other Europeans are also beginning to feel uncomfortable. […]

… At the end of the day, the tests will be these: in the minds of Germany’s neighbors, will there be a genuinely integrated European defense industry or still just rival national ones? And will our Europe-alone military preparations, however messy and imperfect, prove a sufficient deterrent in the mind of Putin?

If Merz, working together with other European leaders, can find convincing answers to these two questions, he will gain a secure place in the history books. …

(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...


TOPICS: Heated Discussion
KEYWORDS: 4threich; 666; europeanunion; euroweenies; eussr; fakenews; fourthreich; france; friedrichmerz; germany; grauniad; guardianuk; loveletterformerz; poland; putinthewarpig; russiankeywordtroll; russiantrollfarm; thebeast; timothygartonash; unitedkingdom; worldwar3
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To: Donbue

< insert pic of Hitler meeting with the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem (Arafat’s “uncle”) here >


21 posted on 05/07/2026 4:43:30 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: mewzilla

I don’t no about ETA. It’s certainly true for ESTA though.


22 posted on 05/07/2026 4:57:27 AM PDT by MoraBlack
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To: Olog-hai

The Guardian is worried about Germans?
How about your local mosque there, oh pathetic journalists?


23 posted on 05/07/2026 4:57:29 AM PDT by Da Coyote
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To: Olog-hai

Right now, Poland has the largest and most powerful army in Europe. Poland’s aggressive investment in drone technology, driven by regional security concerns, has positioned it as a leading European supplier and operator of FPV drones.


24 posted on 05/07/2026 5:02:50 AM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
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To: dforest
Putin has already said Europe has nothing he wants

LOL, sure let's all trust Putin's word, the same Putin who has already invaded two European countries. Trust the same Putin who signed a treaty with Ukraine promising to respect its borders, the same Putin who before invading Ukraine said it was just a military exercise and he had no plan to invade Ukraine...

25 posted on 05/07/2026 5:13:17 AM PDT by tlozo (“We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,” Trump)
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To: Olog-hai; All

What could go wrong?


26 posted on 05/07/2026 5:14:31 AM PDT by notdownwidems (Washington D.C. has become the enemy of free people everywhere!)
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To: notdownwidems

We taught them a lesson in 1918
And they’ve hardly bothered us since then


27 posted on 05/07/2026 5:18:12 AM PDT by dfwgator ("I am Charlie Kirk!")
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To: AZJeep
Restoring German military power is indeed scary.

No. Viewing Germany through the WW2 lens is a misread today, to say the least.

Far from being a colossus standing astride a continent, Germany will stand out like Jerry Lewis among a roomful of Pee Wee Hermans.

Germany ain't what it used to be... It's an underfunded welfare sinkhole for pensioners and illegal aliens grabbing what's left. Prussia gone forever. Poland is militarily more important.

28 posted on 05/07/2026 5:22:30 AM PDT by TimSkalaBim
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To: tlozo

https://youtu.be/HED1xsGGxQc

Military Summary Channel -‘Facts on the Ground.

RU v UK

Paychecks from Ukie Bot Farm must have finally cleared. 😃


29 posted on 05/07/2026 5:25:46 AM PDT by MotorCityBuck (Keep the Change You Filthy Animal !)
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To: MotorCityBuck
Paychecks from Ukie Bot Farm must have finally cleared

LOL, remember when we stood for freedom in the world and didn't admire dictators like Putin?


30 posted on 05/07/2026 5:32:47 AM PDT by tlozo (“We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,” Trump)
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To: mewzilla; Olog-hai; fso301; AZJeep; wildcard_redneck; Steven Tyler; FLT-bird; Redmen4ever
mewzilla: "Germany hasn’t got the money.
But talk is cheap."

Germany, like everyone else, has been basking in its post-Cold War "peace dividend" for 35 years, and so has lost its military industrial capacity for a serious national defense effort.

But that was not always so:

  1. During the Cold War West Germany spent up to 3.1% of GDP on defense (1975) and averaged ~2.5% over the entire period.

  2. During 30 years of post-Cold War "peace dividend", German military spending dropped to barely 1% of GDP.

  3. Today Germans spend just over 2% on defense.

  4. Now plans call for increases to 3.5% by the 2030s.
So, 3.5% is aspirational and, even if achieved, still within the range of peak West German Cold War spending.
Further: Meaning, at best, German military numbers will reach only about half the levels it maintained during the Cold War.

Yes, Germany is a large country in terms of its population and GDP, but it is still only 15% of Europe's total population and ~17% of Europe's total GDP.

IOW, Germany is not and cannot become a threat to Europe, but it absolutely can contribute greatly to Europe's defenses against Crazy Ivan Putinoviches.

Military Review 2018 article:

(left) Putin's Deputy Chairman of the Security Council,
Dmitry Medvedev showing Russian goals in Ukraine, 2024:

31 posted on 05/07/2026 5:33:46 AM PDT by BroJoeK (future DDG 134 -- we remember)
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To: Olog-hai

Manchester “Guardian” is nuts, - but wouldn’t it be sweet irony if Germany became the “protectorate” of the EU?


32 posted on 05/07/2026 5:41:25 AM PDT by trebb (So many fools - so little time...)
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To: Olog-hai

My history professor said in 1976 that anytime Germany reunites, they being a warring people, would be dangerous.


33 posted on 05/07/2026 5:45:43 AM PDT by healy61
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To: trebb; All

If things there don’t change Germany might get that Muslim dominated army Hitler dreamed about.


34 posted on 05/07/2026 5:47:21 AM PDT by Reily
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To: Olog-hai

Look at the bright side. At least they have a tested plan for Ukraine that they would be willing to take the lead on.

35 posted on 05/07/2026 6:20:59 AM PDT by Opinionated Blowhard (When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.)
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To: AZJeep
The German neighbors are genuinely worried. Restoring German military power is indeed scary.

Some people live in a time warp concerning Germany where it's always 1933. That's about as absurd as the black activists who say that conservative southerners want to put them back in chains, or perhaps something even more ridiculous, i.e. saying that we'll be at war with England any day now because we had to fight them in 1812.

I for one am pleased that European countries are arming, spending more on defense, and weaning themselves off US protection. It's about time. They have the manpower, the wealth, and the technology to depend themselves, let them do so.

36 posted on 05/07/2026 6:22:06 AM PDT by ek_hornbeck
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To: Olog-hai

Is WW12 in our future?


37 posted on 05/07/2026 6:54:15 AM PDT by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
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To: Olog-hai

Did it start in Munich????


38 posted on 05/07/2026 6:55:51 AM PDT by RetiredArmy (The Bible speaks truth! Don't believe it, you do so at your own peril. You'd better be right!!)
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To: Olog-hai

Sounds like it’s time to re-watch “Youjo Senki”, aka “The Saga of Tanya the Evil”. Which is a blend of WWI and WWII, but without Nazis, on another world.


39 posted on 05/07/2026 7:06:47 AM PDT by yefragetuwrabrumuy ("We come in peace. Don't look too carefully at our menus.")
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To: mewzilla

Germany isn’t the power house it used to be due to going green, supporting all the weak sisters in the EU and a zillion migrants.


40 posted on 05/07/2026 7:30:33 AM PDT by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped)
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