Germany reaches for European conventional military dominance

Ed Arnold, senior research fellow for European Security at the Royal United Services Institute, said that Germany’s spending drive is significant in part because it backs up a clear “political declaration.” In contrast, he said senior UK politicians have publicly called for preparations for war, but additional spending commitments have been slow to materialize. British and European observers are still waiting for the government to publish its defense investment plan, originally slated for release last year. “You just don’t get that [scenario] in Germany, because they put huge amounts of money behind” messaging on defense and security threats, he explained.