For the first time in its history, Germany is equipping itself with a true military strategy, marking a crucial step in rethinking its role in European security. On April 22, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius presented the document, which outlines a path for the progressive strengthening of the Bundeswehr through a plan divided into three phases, aiming to expand operational capabilities, readiness, and technological superiority. (Start Magazine Editorial Staff)
Below is the foreword by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius followed by the summary of the document taken from Stefano Feltri’s Notes.
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The international security situation has radically changed within a few years. Crises and conflicts are increasing and reinforcing each other. This generates new instabilities and tensions between states that no longer produce only regional effects: they have a global impact. They concern Europe. And they concern Germany.
With the first military strategy in the history of the Federal Republic, we provide a response to this context. It serves as a compass for the armed forces in the coming years: it describes the threat landscape, defines priorities, and establishes how the Bundeswehr exercises deterrence within the Alliance — and, above all, how it fights when necessary.
We are developing the Bundeswehr to make it the strongest conventional army in Europe. In the short term, we strengthen our defense and resilience capacity; in the medium term, we aim for a significant overall increase in capabilities; in the long term, we aim to achieve technological superiority.
This path towards technologically superior armed forces necessarily involves innovative capability development. The new capability profile is based on the strategic directions of the military strategy.
As a plan for the armed forces, it structures the so-called Single Set of Forces, guides the construction of the Bundeswehr, and provides strategic guidance for future military administration.
This is the central document for defining requirements and establishes what capabilities the Bundeswehr must have: what is needed to defend our country, its citizens, and our allies. The forces described in the capability profile form the basis of the defensive posture.
In summary: the military strategy describes how we act; the capability profile describes with what means we act.
Overall, a general principle applies: security policy requires reliability and transparency — for our military, for our allies, and for society as a whole. For this reason, we publish this document with essential information on the two instruments. At the same time, however, it is clear that not everything concerning security can be made public: the military strategy and the capability profile will remain classified.
The document is explicit: in Europe, Russia remains predictably the main threat to our security. Through rearmament, it is preparing for a military confrontation with NATO and considers the use of force a legitimate tool to pursue its interests. The war of aggression against Ukraine fits into this framework and targets the European and global peace order.
Russia also deliberately uses hybrid tools. The resulting threats do not stop at national borders. Espionage, sabotage, cyberattacks, and disinformation campaigns are no longer marginal phenomena: countering them has become a permanent task.
Old certainties have entered into crisis. International rules we have relied on are increasingly questioned and attacked. This profoundly changes our strategic context within the Alliance as well.
For us Europeans, the consequence is clear: we must be able to guarantee our security independently. In this framework, Germany is called to play a central role in NATO and the European Union. We will deliberately assume greater conventional-strategic responsibilities for Europe, thus strengthening Germany’s strategic weight for our allies.
We take on this new role to continue guaranteeing peace and freedom to the citizens of our country. We further strengthen our military capabilities and determinedly increase our defensive readiness. We consistently orient the Bundeswehr towards its main mission: the defense of national territory and the Alliance. How we will do this is described in the capability profile.
Strategies and tools alone are not enough to create real defense capability. Decisive are the people who act when necessary. Our military and civilian personnel assume responsibility for the security of the country and the Alliance every day. They need reliable conditions and clear objectives. The military strategy and the capability profile constitute the guide for the future.
We have the means, we have the political will, and we have people ready to take responsibility.
The Bundeswehr of tomorrow will not be born in the future: it is born now.
SUMMARY OF THE DOCUMENT
- Central Strategic Objective: Germany aims to develop the Bundeswehr to become the strongest conventional army in Europe. This reflects a paradigm shift in which the country assumes greater conventional-strategic responsibility within NATO and the EU.
- Main Threat: Russia is identified as the greatest immediate threat to security in the Euro-Atlantic space. The strategy highlights how Moscow uses hybrid tools (espionage, sabotage, cyberattacks) and is preparing for a potential military conflict with NATO.
- Two Key Documents:
- Military Strategy: Defines the strategic environment and how the Bundeswehr intends to act to deter and, if necessary, defend.
- Capability Profile (Armed Forces Plan): Establishes the concrete means, technologies, and resources necessary to implement the strategy.
- Development in Three Phases (until 2039+):
- Phase 1 (until 2029): Rapid maximization of the defense and endurance capacity of current forces.
- Phase 2 (until around 2035): Significant increase in capabilities across all dimensions to assume a leadership role in Europe.
- Phase 3 (2039 and beyond): Achieving technological superiority through innovation.
- Strategic Military Priorities:
- Ensure national and alliance defense (primary task).
- Mitigate the impact of hybrid attacks.
- Strengthen stability in Europe and the southern neighboring regions.
- Protect maritime lines of communication and critical infrastructure.
- Modernization and Technology: Germany focuses on digitizing the battlefield, the use of artificial intelligence, multi-domain operations (Cyber, Space, Information), and the development of missile defense and long-range precision strike systems.
- Personnel and Resources: The plan targets at least 460,000 soldiers (active and reserve) by 2035. It aims for “full staffing” of all units, eliminating typical peacetime army structures to optimize operational readiness.
- Role as a “Reference Partner”: Germany intends to serve as a pivot for European allies, improving interoperability and autonomous force projection capabilities, thus easing the strategic burden of the United States in Europe.
(Excerpt from Notes)
