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Opinionated piece by Stefan Wolff, Professor of International Security, University of Birmingham, UK.

… the EU’s largest and Nato’s second-largest economy, Germany is now also aiming to turn its Bundeswehr (the German army, navy and air force) into the “strongest conventional army in Europe”. Its most senior military officer and chief of defence, Carsten Breuer, has published plans for a rapid and wide-ranging expansion of defence capabilities.

Germany is finally beginning to pull its weight in European defence and security policy. This is absolutely critical to the credibility of the EU in the face of the threat from Russia. Berlin has the financial muscle and the technological and industrial potential to make Europe more of a peer to the US when it comes to defence spending and burden sharing. This will be important to salvage what remains of Nato in light of a highly probable American down-scaling – if not complete abandonment – of its past security commitments to the alliance.

  • rottingleaf@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    Wehrmacht were the baddies not because they had breeches, sabres, trumpets and did goosestepping.

    So there’s really nothing problematic with military traditions. Morale is important even for corporations.

    • bungalowtill@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      4 days ago

      Yeah, all dandy when you kinda ignore what all that signifies. Corporations are a great example, for they are pretty perfect fascist organisations. All really nothing problematic.

      • rottingleaf@lemmy.world
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        4 days ago

        All that signifies that a military is a hierarchical structure intended to impose your will upon some other group by force, hurting, maiming and killing people on scale.

        That is unfortunately a required module.