Germany's armaments debate: drone war and infrastructure in focus!

Germany's armaments debate: drone war and infrastructure in focus!

Vilnius, Litauen - On June 8, 2025, a security policy conference took place in Vilnius, Lithuania, which dealt with the teachings from the Ukraine War and the role of Germany in modern defense policy. During this event, experts discussed the current challenges and open construction sites in Germany, especially with regard to defense and security. Political changes have increased pressure on Germany to take on more responsibility.

A central topic of the conference was the use of defense billions, whereby the possibility of suspending the debt brake to finance new armaments projects was discussed. Suggestions for binding collective orders to the armaments industry contributed to controversy. Jonas Uman, founder of an NGO, spoke out for a decentralized defense and emphasized that the adaptation of production on site was more effective. He referred to Ukrainian soldiers who manufacture drones and explosives themselves, as well as the effectiveness of favorable drones that can attack expensive bombers.

Germany and NATO

Minna Ålander, an expert in the field, pointed out the increasing need for infrastructure and logistics in Germany. In particular, NATO countries plan to increase their military expenses up to 5%, with 1.5% of which are intended for logistics and infrastructure. Germany faces the challenge of preparing for possible escape movements, while at the same time defects in civil infrastructure, such as the construction of bunkers, are critically noted. FDP vice chief Hennig Hönen spoke of a significant catch-up requirement in the military infrastructure.

Unclears when dealing with drone overfirts on barracks caused additional discussions. There is also growing criticism of the federal government regarding the deliveries of taurus rockets to Ukraine. Many experts argue that Ukraine has to improvise because its long -distance weapons are missing and Russian planes are an obvious threat.

Financial dimensions of defense investments

The current discussion about defense investments is underpinned by a study by EY and Dekabank, which shows that European NATO countries invest 72 billion euros annually in armor and thus create or secure 680,000 jobs. An increase in defense spending to 3% of GDP would be necessary to generate an additional 65 billion euros per year and create another 660,000 jobs. Even in the event of an armistice in Ukraine, a continued increase in defense spending and an expansion of the armaments sector is expected.

The study emphasizes that defense investments generate economic impulses that go beyond the armaments industry. It is predicted that every euro that is invested in defense generates about twice as high economic activity.

For Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom, the employment effects are particularly high, whereby over 137,000 jobs in Germany depend directly on the defense investments. Despite the achievement of the 2%goal in many NATO countries, defense ability remains inadequate, which indicates a total of 390 billion euros that is required for air defense systems and ammunition.

The conference in Vilnius thus represents an important step to find solutions for the pressing security policy challenges of the present and at the same time to strengthen the role of Germany within NATO.

op-online.de | EY.com