Germany investing in military amid concerns over Putin, uncertainty about U.S. support for European defense
Nearly four years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Germany is beefing up its security, increasing military enlistment and investing in an innovative array of defense technology, including drones and reconnaissance cockroaches.
It's a significant change for Germans who, haunted by their country's militarized past, embraced pacifism after the Cold War. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said a strong military force is needed to defend the ability to live freely in peace.
"Because, otherwise, there might be people like Vladimir Putin who will take that kind of living away from us," Pistorius said.
Why Germany is rearming
Russia's Feb. 24, 2022, invasion of Ukraine shook Germany's sense of security. Pistorius was appointed almost a year after the war in Ukraine began and has overseen a 23% uptick in military enlistments over last year. Pistorius has warned Putin is rebuilding Russia's military and said Russia could be in a position to attack the West by the end of the decade.
"He does not stop stressing what he's really longing for, like, a renaissance of the Soviet empire," Pistorius said of Putin. "He wants to be the dominant power in Europe. And he wants to be the third of three world powers like China and the U.S. This is what he is heading for."
Three days after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, then-Chancellor Olaf Scholz told Germany's parliament that the incursion marked a turning point for Europe. He announced a special 100 billion euro fund to kickstart Germany's military buildup.
Three years later, in the run-up to his election as chancellor this past May, Friedrich Merz said he was troubled by President Trump's threats to pull back from NATO; the president has argued for years that NATO countries need to contribute more of their GDP to defense.
"My absolute priority will be to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that, step by step, we can really achieve independence from the USA," Merz said in February.
What Germany is doing to advance its military
Germany is aiming to deter Russia from engaging in a wider war. Pistorius said the objective is to be ready to defend against an attack by 2029.
After a contentious Oval Office meeting in March between Mr. Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, German Chancellor Merz pushed Germany's parliament to exempt defense spending from Germany's debt brake — the constitutionally mandated spending cap. The country's defense budget is projected to rise almost 80% by 2029.
With the surge of federal funding, the long moribund German defense industry is springing back to life. The Bundeswehr, the German military, just awarded a 25 million euro contract to drone manufacturer Quantum Systems to produce up to 750 Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, or ISR, drones.
"The drones are the future of warfare," Quantum co-CEO Sven Kruck said.
Germany's defense ministry is also funding tests at SWARM Biotactics to see if Madagascar hissing cockroaches can be used as miniature battlefield assets. The year-old startup, co-founded by Stefan Wilhelm, is working with the Bundeswehr to develop technology that can steer cockroaches and send them on reconnaissance missions.
"They're super resilient," Wilhelm said. "They can crawl through tiny spaces, can go up the wall, into pipes, like underground and rubble."
SWARM's insect neuroscientists attach electrodes to the roaches' antennae — a process they insist doesn't hurt – to stimulate the insects' natural ability to navigate.
The electrodes are hidden in bug-size backpacks, along with a battery and microchips. The company hopes the roaches will one day be deployed to war zones carrying cameras, microphones and Doppler radar.
"We have to be smarter. We have to use intelligence. We have to use autonomy because we wouldn't have enough personnel or enough equipment if you look at what Russia produces right now," Wilhelm said. "So I think this is a shift you see in the German startups."
Germany's biggest defense contractor, Rheinmetall, and its subsidiaries have won a commanding share of recent government contracts. Armin Papperger, CEO since 2013, said the company's focus is broadening from ammunition to include vehicle platforms, digitization, satellites and naval business.
Papperger said Rheinmetall is building and expanding 13 arms factories across Europe.
"Now with the Ukrainian-Russian war, it's very clear about that, that we have to do more," Papperger said.
At a Bundeswehr base in northwest Germany, a major in charge of basic training said he's seen a big difference in recruits compared to years past.
"They know what they're here for, and it's getting more clear to them that everything we are training here for could be one day real. We don't hope that. But we're preparing exactly for that," the major said.
The Bundeswehr won't reveal his name to shield his identity from hostile actors.
Challenges to Germany's rearmament
Despite the recent uptick in enlistments, the Bundeswehr is facing a manpower challenge. Germany wants to add about 75,000 active-duty troops to its all-volunteer force by 2035.
A recent poll in the country found an overwhelming majority of 15- to 25-year-olds would not take up arms. If volunteer numbers fall short, the government may reintroduce the draft.
Soldiers 60 Minutes met in basic training said they find the reluctance of their generation to volunteer troubling. Private Lasse said he's proud to serve. The Bundeswehr wouldn't reveal his last name.
"Nobody wants to go to war. But if it happens, you have to be there to defend your country," he said.