German Chancellor Olaf Scholz defended his government’s military spending plans against criticism during a visit to troops in the south of the country on Monday.
Scholz pointed to a large special fund to modernize the German military, known as the Bundeswehr, that was created after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The attack drew renewed attention to the state of many European defense powers.
“In 2017, we spent €37 billion ($42 billion) on defense. Now, with the use of the special fund, the Bundeswehr’s budget is €75 billion. That’s more or less double,” Scholz said during a visit to an elite mountain infantry brigade at a high-altitude training area near the town of Bad Reichenhall on the Austrian border.
Scholz’s coalition has faced criticism over the small increase in the defense budget for 2025, including from the Bundeswehrverband, which represents the interests of military personnel.
However, Scholz stressed that the defense budget will continue to rise in the coming years: “In 2028, the Bundeswehr’s budget alone will amount to 80 billion euros, because we can no longer fall back on the special fund. With this long-term perspective, the Bundeswehr can also position itself very differently than in the past.”
The Chancellor said this type of financing makes it possible to prepare orders and plans aimed at the coming decade.
“That is actually the big qualitative difference, because we can now ensure that we do not have to purchase in the short term, but can enter into long-term agreements,” he said.
During the visit, Scholz also saw how the soldiers prepare for operations and possible battles in the mountains at an altitude of approximately 1,700 meters.
