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Minister of Defense of Germany, Boris Pistorius, informed Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Olaf Scholz, about a shortage of 4.5-6 billion euros in the country’s defense budget for the year 2025.
This information is reported by the German newspaper Bild.
According to the publication, for the year 2025, Germany has allocated 52 billion euros for the needs of its army, however, this amount needs to be increased to meet NATO requirements.
According to NATO requirements, the country must spend 2% of GDP on defense. If Germany’s defense budget is not increased by €4.5–6 billion, the country will not be able to meet the Alliance’s requirements.
According to Bild, the German Ministry of Finance proposed to cover the funding shortfall by reducing social benefits, but this option was rejected by the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Additional funds are needed by the German army for the purchase of new armored vehicles, the conversion of the Büchel airfield to accommodate F-35 fighters, as well as to ensure the deployment of a Bundeswehr brigade in Lithuania. The funds allocated for 2025 will cover salaries for soldiers, barracks heating, tank repairs, etc. Additionally, only 500 million euros will remain for investments in armaments. Therefore, it is expected that Germany’s budget without an increase in defense spending will have a deficit of 25 billion euros, as stated in the publication.
Earlier, the Financial Times wrote that Germany needs to cut social spending to implement its “grand military ambitions.”
In turn, the Inspector General of the Bundeswehr stated that in its current state, the German army is unable to defend the country or NATO allies.
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