Germany’s negligence of its armed forces is well-known and documented: from the lack of warm underwear for its forces deployed in Lithuania with NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence, to periods in which none of its six submarines were ocean-going, to long-delayed or cancelled procurement projects for critical military capabilities like new heavy-transport helicopters or medium-range air defense. These shortfalls stand in stark contrast to Europe’s current geostrategic reality, in which the bloody Russian invasion of Ukraine has forced European states to re-evaluate and change their defense posture and policies. Among them is Germany, whose government recently announced a dramatic shift in … Continue reading Beware of Potemkin: Germany’s Defense Rethink Risks Reinforcing Old Habits