Episode 114: How Will German Rearmament Shape European Security?

Germany is undertaking the most significant overhaul of its defence and security policy in decades, moving from long-standing restraint to large-scale rearmament and military reform. In this episode of Global Security Briefing, Neil Melvin speaks with Dr Claudia Major, Senior Vice President, Transatlantic Security at the German Marshall Fund, about what Germany’s changing approach means for Europe’s future security.

This episode explores:

• Germany’s rearmament strategy, spending priorities, and capability timelines
• The domestic political, public, and institutional challenges to sustained defence investment
• The role of conscription, recruitment, and societal defence in Germany’s plans
• How the German defence industry is adapting to unprecedented demand
• What Germany’s emergence as Europe’s largest defence actor means for European security
• How Berlin’s rearmament affects relations with European partners, the European Union, and the United States
• Whether Germany’s strategic culture is undergoing lasting change