SPD’s Rolf Mützenich Criticizes Greens’ Robert Habeck’s Demand for 3.5% of GDP for Defense Spending
SPD’s Rolf Mützenich has criticized the demand by the Greens’ top candidate Robert Habeck to allocate 3.5% of the country’s economic output for defense spending, saying that it’s an arbitrarily chosen number that won’t automatically bring Germany more security.
Mützenich told the Spiegel on Friday, “I’m surprised again and again how someone can believe that a rather randomly chosen number would make Germany automatically more secure.” He added, “It’s inescapable that we must spend more on defense in the face of the current threat.”
Mützenich expressed regret that Habeck has joined the “overbidding competition” for a percentage of defense spending, saying that Habeck has handled the financing question too lightly in the current financial discussion. “It would be wiser to focus on the efficiency of the spending, as the defense industry, as exemplified by the CEO of the Italian defense conglomerate Leonardo, Roberto Cingolani, does” the SPD’s faction chief suggested.
Habeck had based his demand on expert opinions, stating that according to calculations, about 3.5% of the country’s economic output would be needed for defense in the coming years. “I share this” Habeck told the Spiegel. “We must almost double our defense spending so that Putin doesn’t dare to attack us. We must secure the peace and prevent further war.” Initially, it was unclear on whom Habeck based his demand, but the view that two percent is not enough is widely held.