“Всеобъемлющая концепция модернизации Бундесвера”

Abstract

As a key regional player, Germany can make a significant contribution to the defense of NATO and the EU. By employing militarily and politically the essential ground forces, which can form the basis when organizing the defense of other members of the Alliance, in the context of the application of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, Germany’s policy on Bundeswehr reform and the costs of this reform deserve special attention. Whereas in the second track, the vector of work as well as the amount of military aid is very clear, in the case of the armed forces reform there are certain peculiarities. After a long period of stagnation and underfunding of the German Army, the trend is reversed. Today, the German politico-military leadership is striving to achieve more sovereignty and autonomy in the military sphere. As of 2022, the Bundeswehr is an active participant in NATO’s international missions and operations. It forms the backbone of the Alliance’s rapid reaction force in Eastern Europe, cooperating with other Eastern European states on the intergovernmental level. There is also an active partnership through Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) in the context of the Common Security and Defense Policy within the European Union. The prospect of implementing the set of reforms opens a window of opportunity for Germany to increase its national politico-military capabilities in Europe, which could be realized in the field of consolidating the country as one of the regional hegemons. Besides, within the framework of the new NATO Concept, there is a provision of building up the rapid reaction force on the eastern border of the Alliance, which is actively supported by the Bundeswehr. This could lead to an even greater escalation of the conflict between NATO and the Russian Federation.