Observations

Interesting timing

On the day that HM King Charles was addressing the crowds in Portsmouth to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, the German government chose to make two separate announcements on its own military future. Some might say this was a convenient way of diverting attention away from the massive loss of lives suffered by allied troops at the hands of the Germans occupying northern France.

Be that as it may, what are the chances of Germany stepping up?

For 10 years Germany has failed to honour its obligations as a member of NATO

Now it seems that the coalition government in Germany, led by the socialist Chancellor Olaf Scholz, is determined to put the country on a full war footing in the next five years. We will believe this when we see it.

For decades Germany has underspent on defence. Any defence analyst will tell you that it takes many years to rebuild a country's military capabilities. The United Kingdom has consistently spent the two NATO minimum spending levels of 2% of GDP overall, of which 20% must be spent on equipment. Even so, the Conservative government in the UK has presided over a radical reduction in the size of the British Army.

Germany re-arming?

In Germany, the principle of re-arming is of course sensitive, as it has resonances with the largely hidden re-arming which took place under the Nazis in the lead-up to WWII, contrary to the treaty agreed at the end of WWI.

The latest example of Germany's problems came when it tried to deliver some old Leopard tanks to Ukraine. President Zellenskyy rejected them because - to be blunt - they broke down and could not be used.

What is interesting is the proposed re-introduction of compulsory national conscription. As if Chancellor Scholz's party were not unpopular already, we suspect that Germany's 'woke' youth are likely to react very negatively to these proposals.

Lessons from the past

If history has taught us anything, it is that the appeasement of despotic and dictatorial regimes such as those of Russia, China, Iran and North Korea will only end in tears.

Facts4EU.Org repeats its demand for a doubling of the UK defence budget, together with a root and branch overhaul of the incompetent MoD procurement department.

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