A new defence policy for Germany – Keeping an Eye on the Geopolitical Ball

This week on Keeping an Eye on the Geopolitical Ball, Jamie Shea, Senior Fellow at Friends of Europe, focuses on the new defence policy of Germany one year after the “Zeitenwende speech” delivered by Chancellor Olaf Scholz after the beginning of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. He analyses the changes in the German defence policy promised in this speech, for instance, the rise of €100 billion in military spending. Shea reminds us of the German defence policy since the end of the Cold War, being neutral and for instance showing its reticence to participate in NATO exercises. He describes that those changes are influenced by the current war and the need to support Ukraine by sending military tools. Thus, the new German defence policy will include reforms of the German army and the reach of the NATO target by spending at least 2% of their GDP on defence. Jamie Shea details that a stronger defence policy for Germany will reinforce NATO but also the purpose of French President Macron to establish a European Strategic Autonomy.