The head of Germany’s armed forces association has expressed dismay at a proposed increase in defense spending in the country’s 2025 budget, calling it lower than expected and saying it neither does justice to the current security situation. Nor is it enough to fulfill ‘Germany’s responsibility to the world’.
Andre Wiestner, chairman of the organization representing the interests of nearly 200,000 active soldiers, reservists and ex-servicemen, told the news agency dpa: “The German government wants to go through this legislative period with this budget, but The Bundeswehr is an integral part of our security infrastructure – and therefore all of us – are paying for it.’
Under the terms of the initial 2025 national budget agreed, German military spending would increase by just 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion), regarding seven billion euros less than Defense Minister Boris Pistorius had demanded.
Leaders of Germany’s coalition government achieved a major breakthrough on the national budget following weeks of difficult negotiations in overnight consultations.
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Finance Minister Christian Lindner of the pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP) refused to release the country’s debt relief on public spending, and Chancellor Olaf Schulz’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) After refusing to cut welfare spending, Germany’s armed forces appear to have suffered defeat.
Citing political instability and a lack of confidence in Washington’s commitment to European security in the event of a second Donald Trump presidency in the wake of the presidential election in November, Westner described the security situation in Europe as ‘ The most dangerous since the end of the iron curtain.
Westner called on parliament to revise the draft budget extensively.
He said the additional funds were needed to cover “dramatic increases in operating costs, from power generators to operating supplies and special toolkits for personnel.”
In addition, without further investment in the defense industry, the recently-initiated capacity expansion will quickly begin to stall once more, Wistner said.
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2024-07-09 05:59:15
