Germany has unveiled its first standalone military strategy since the Second World War, with Defence Minister Boris Pistorius pledging to build Europe’s strongest conventional army by 2039.
The plan named Russia as the primary threat to NATO and lays out a three-phase rearmament covering readiness through 2029, capability expansion to 2035 and technological superiority by 2039.
Active troop numbers will rise from 185,000 to 260,000, with reserves reaching 200,000.
A €117.7 billion special fund and the loosening of the constitutional debt brake will finance the build-up.
Berlin sees Moscow already waging hybrid war across Europe, raising old questions about whether Berlin can lead a remilitarised continent.
Russian Strikes Kill 22 Hours Before Putin’s “Truce”
Russian missile and drone strikes killed at least 22 people across Ukraine on Tuesday, just hours before Vladimir Putin’s unilateral two-day Victory Day “ceasefire” was
6 May 2026
