Germany’s Merz pledges to make Bundeswehr Europe’s strongest army

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz wants to make the Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces) the strongest conventional army in Europe.

Delivering his first government address in the Bundestag on May 14, Merz declared that the strengthening of the Bundeswehr will be his government's “top priority,“ Caliber.Az reports citing German media.

"We must be able to defend ourselves so that we don’t have to defend ourselves,” Merz urged, highlighting that the principle of deterrence has been in place for decades and has proven effective.

"Strength deters aggressors, while weakness invites aggression," he further declared. During this part of his speech, Merz also made a clear reference to Russia, stressing that “anyone who seriously believes that Russia would be satisfied with a victory over Ukraine or the annexation of parts of the country is mistaken.”

Speaking on European matters, Merz urged that Berlin must “take on more responsibility within NATO and the EU,” and pledged that his government will meet this obligation and “provide all the financial resources the Bundeswehr needs to become the strongest conventional army in Europe.” He added that this would also require improving “personnel readiness” and increasing the number of soldiers in the Bundeswehr. Therefore, the federal government will “initially create a new, attractive voluntary military service.”

The chancellor reaffirmed strong continued support for Ukraine but was cautious to re-emphasize that Germany was "not a party to the war and we will not become one.” At the same time, Merz pointed out that Germany was not uninvolved bystanders or neutral mediators between the front lines.

By Nazrin Sadigova