Germany bolsters troop numbers by 20,000 as fears grow in Europe
GERMANY is to increase the size of its armed forces amid growing concerns over the security of Europe.
Troop numbers in the Bundeswehr will be raised to almost 200,000 over the next seven years, under plans announced yesterday. The move comes days after Mike Pence, the US vice-president, called on Nato’s European members to increase military spending.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly demanded Europe pay more towards the cost of its own defence. There is concern in European capitals over Mr Trump’s commitment to Nato, after he described the alliance as “obsolete”.
Under the new plans, Germany will recruit 20,000 more troops by 2025, bringing its total service personnel to 198,000. That is slightly more than the British Armed Forces’ current strength of 196,410. The Bundeswehr will also increase its civilian staff to 61,000.
Ursula von der Leyen, the defence minister, said: “The Bundeswehr has rarely been as necessary as it is now.
“Whether it is the fight against Isil terrorism, the stabilisation of Mali, continuing support of Afghanistan, operations against migrant smugglers in the Mediterranean or with our increased Nato presence in the Baltics.”
The announcement came as Germany deployed tanks and troops to Lithuania as part of a Nato force to deter Russian aggression. US Apache helicopters began arriving in Germany yesterday to take part in the operation.
During the Cold War, West Germany was considered the first line of defence against a Soviet invasion and at its height the Bundeswehr had 500,000 active personnel. But following the fall of the Berlin Wall, defence spending dropped sharply. Troop numbers fell to an alltime low of 166,500 in June last year.
Cold War historians described West Germany’s army as “perhaps the best in the world”. But in recent years it has been better known for embarrassing equipment shortages that saw soldiers forced to use broomsticks instead of guns on Nato exercises, and ordinary vans standing in for armoured vehicles.
Mr Trump described Nato as “obsolete” in an interview in January, and during the US presidential campaign Mr Trump warned that the US may not necessarily come to the aid of Nato allies if they are attacked. Mr Pence sought to reassure European allies in a speech at Nato headquarters in Brussels on Monday in which he said the US “commitment to Nato is clear”. But he demanded “real progress” on spending.
The new troops will cost Germany around €900million (£760million) a year. But Germany remains far short of meeting Nato’s annual target of 2 per cent of GDP spent on defence a year.