Purchasing new fighter jets is the priority of the military package that will triple Germany’s defense budget this year, one of the most important geopolitical shifts in Europe stemming from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The document detailing the breakdown of Prime Minister Olaf Scholz’s plan was released on Tuesday (31), three months after Berlin announced a €100 billion increase due to Vladimir Putin’s war. against the neighbor.
Scholz, who has been in office since last December, had to negotiate with the Christian Democrat opposition and with parties in his own coalition, reaching an agreement on Sunday (29).
The Air Force will keep 40.9% of the funds. It had already announced that it intends to buy at least 35 new North American F-35 fighter jets, which will replace the old Panavia Tornado, made by a European consortium, in the role of attack with the ability to use nuclear weapons.
A new batch of the European multinational Eurofighter Thypoon fighter, which Berlin already flies, will also be purchased, at least 15 units, but probably more. The advertised value is much higher than these acquisition numbers. Today the Germans have 140 Eurofighter and 88 Tornado.
And money will also be allocated to the program that Germany has with France to develop a fifth-generation fighter, a political response to Paris for the fact that the acquisition of the F-35, which are aircraft of this category, effectively kills this initiative. . A satellite early warning system should also be on the bill.
The Navy will have 19.3% of the package to buy new submarines and ships and the Army 16.6% to develop new infantry cars. Other funds go to different programs of the three Forces.
It’s a historic change. Since the end of the 19th century, when it was unified into an empire, Germany has been seen as a threat by its neighbors. He proved this in the First World War (1914-18) and the rise of Nazism, which led to the second global conflict (1939-45).
During the Cold War, it was divided between the Soviet Union and the Allies, giving birth to two countries, the capitalist West Germany and member of NATO (US military club) and the East, communist and leader of the Warsaw Pact commanded by Moscow.
German soil was the main candidate for the start of the Third World War, with strong militarization outsourced by the superpowers. But their own military initiatives were hampered by fear of the country’s historical weight. With the end of the Cold War in 1989 and the reunification of 1990, Germany sought to demonstrate its power in the European project for the economy.
He saw his military spending decrease, and the Armed Forces being questioned even in an existential way. In the arrangement until February 24 of this year, it was acceptable to Berlin, despite American criticism, accentuated mainly in the turmoil of the Donald Trump administration (2017-21).
Pacifism is a powerful force in the country, the basis of strong parties like Verde, which is in Scholz’s alliance. Over the years, particularly after the complex process of absorbing the communist half into the capitalist one, there was an interest in not offending Moscow for energy reasons.
Joint projects in the area of ​​gas, an area in which Germany depends on Russia, are the basis of criticism made in Kiev and in the capitals of Eastern Europe of an alleged leniency of Berlin with the course of the war. Even the delivery of heavier weapons, announced with fanfare, has not yet fully materialized.
But the numbers given by Scholz, even if they concern Germany and not Ukraine, are new to the game. This year, according to NATO data, the German military budget, including personnel, was €50.9 billion (R$258.5 billion). That was something like 1.5% of Gross Domestic Product, below the 2% recommendation applied to NATO’s 30 members.
Now, at least in relation to this year’s spending, the value triples and the percentage rises to 2.8%, the highest in the country’s recent history. There are still no details on the staggering of the package, but theoretically it is included in this year’s federal budget, through a special fund created for this purpose.
The pace of military expenditure should continue on the rise, as is predictable with the new European security environment, which already registers purchases announced by countries such as Poland, Bulgaria and Romania. The US has already announced the largest military budget in history for 2022-23 and an arms race in which US manufacturers are the main winners is under way.
