Germany's Rearmament Shifts Europe's Power Structure: The New Era of Strategic Autonomy with a German Accent

The European defense landscape is facing a tectonic shift. Germany, which had committed itself to military restraint for decades due to its history and the hope for a more peaceful world after the collapse of the Soviet Union, is now driving an unprecedented wave of rearmament that fundamentally changes the balance of power on the continent.

With a defense budget of 108.2 billion euros for 2026, Germany not only far surpasses its European partners – it is on the verge of spending more on conventional defense than France (57.2 billion euros) and the United Kingdom combined. This development raises fundamental questions about the future of the European security architecture and increases concerns in Paris, Rome, and Warsaw that the European strategic autonomy called for by President Emmanuel Macron since 2017 could increasingly take on a German accent.

The numbers speak a clear language: Since Chancellor Friedrich Merz came to power last year, Berlin has unleashed a massive wave of security spending. The country aims to spend around 3.5 percent of its gross domestic product on defense by 2029-30 – significantly more than France or the United Kingdom, both of which are additionally burdened by their expensive nuclear deterrence programs.