German Unions’ Fraction Vice Johann Wadepuhl believes higher defense spending in Germany is necessary and mentions a mark significantly above the NATO goal.
Donald Trump has entered the debate with a demand of five percent, but “realistically, financially sustainable, and in the medium and long term, and politically implementable, a minimum goal of three percent appears more reasonable” the defense politician writes in a guest article for the “Handelsblatt”.
The current NATO goal is for member states to invest at least two percent of their gross domestic product in defense. Germany currently meets this with the 100 billion-strong and debt-financed special top-up for the German military. According to Wadepuhl, the increase to three percent would amount to “a massive sum of at least 130 billion”. This would be “an enormous sum”.
“It’s about all NATO member states rebuilding and fundamentally modernizing their armed forces, with Germany, economically strong, large, and centrally located in Europe, at the forefront. This is also about the federal election on February 23” Wadepuhl writes, who is also vice president of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.