German of the day: Goldgrube

That means bonanza.

Time to invest in the German defense industry. But you knew that already.

Germany eyes swift moves on defence, investors sniff bonanza – The prospect of a military spending boom by Germany unprecedented since the Cold War sent Europe’s defence stocks soaring after Reuters reported the likely next government was mulling a fiscal sea change for Europe’s biggest economy.

Germany’s likely next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, did not confirm that his conservatives and the Social Democrats were considering setting up special funds worth nearly a trillion euros to finance urgent defence and infrastructure spending.

German of the day: Bedrohung von innen

That means threat from within.

At Munich conference, US VP Vance warns European allies of ‘threat from within’ – Vice President JD Vance warned European allies attending the security conference in Munich, Germany, against “the threat from within,” arguing that European governments are exercising extreme censorship and have failed to adequately get a handle on “out-of-control migration.”

“The threat that I worry the most about vis a vis Europe is not Russia, it’s not China, it’s not any other external actor,” he said Friday. “What I worry about is the threat from within, the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values, values shared with the United States of America.”

With what?

Shoot them down with what?

Germany to shoot down drones near military sites – Germany’s cabinet has decided to authorise the army to shoot down suspicious drones seen near military sites or other critical infrastructure.

A statement from Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said that, “especially since [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine, we have seen that drones are being used more and more frequently, which poses an increasing challenge for the police and their current technology”.

Russia is suspected of launching a “shadow war” against Western countries supporting Ukraine – a charge it denies.

The war must almost be over…

If Germans are finally beginning to prepare for it.

‘Would you survive 72 hours?’ Germany and the Nordic countries prepare citizens for possible war – Apps and booklets are offering advice on how to build a bunker, stockpile food and live without electricity in case the worst happens

Germany is developing an app to help people locate the nearest bunker in the event of attack. Sweden is distributing a 32-page pamphlet titled If Crisis or War Comes. Half a million Finns have already downloaded an emergency preparedness guide.

The Trump Effect

It’s more than just getting rid of your pronouns.

German poll shows approval for more defense spending as NATO steels itself for Trump 2.0 – A majority of Germans support significant defense spending increases, an outlook that coincides with the imminent return of Donald Trump to the White House and an anticipated pressure campaign on allied militaries to step up, a new public opinion survey found.

In September, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius proposed pushing the amount of spending dedicated to the military from 2% of gross domestic product to between 3 and 3.5%.

In a new poll released Monday by the Koerber-Stiftung Institute, 50% of respondents supported Pistorius’ idea, while a further 15% said even more should be spent on German defense.

What German troops?

Take your time, Lithuania.

You’ve got all the time in the world.

Lithuania begins construction of base for German troops near Russian border – Lithuania on Monday began construction of a military base, which will accommodate up to 4,000 combat-ready German troops once completed by the end of 2027, in the first permanent foreign deployment for the German military since World War Two.

Germany committed to deploy troops in the NATO and European Union member, which borders Russia, last year. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius compared the decision to the posting of allied forces in West Germany during the Cold War to defend Western Europe in case of a Soviet attack.

Booking “financing of transport infrastructure” as defense spending?

To “meet” their pledge of keeping defense spending at 2 percent of GDP?

Clever of the Germans. How refreshingly dishonest. And by that I mean openly dishonest.

Berlin wants to pump defense spending numbers by including military mobility – Germany wants to keep defense spending at 2 percent of GDP, but budget constraints make that difficult.

The cash-strapped German government is looking at how it can include the financing of transport infrastructure used by the military into its defense spending to meet NATO’s spending target.

No German moral outrage here

Where’s the Schnapatmung (gasping for air in mock indignation)?

If you’re so concerned about Gaza, cancel your order.

Israel’s IAI plugging away at German Arrow-3 order amid Gaza war – Israel Aerospace Industries, the maker of Germany’s future long-range antimissile system, has increased shifts and hired more workers to meet the deadline of setting up an installation in Germany sometime next year, a company executive said.

The extra effort follows the national logic of outfitting the Israel Defense Forces as the priority, while also keeping international orders on track, Shay Gal, vice president for external relations, told Defense News at the Farnborough Airshow outside of London.

We welcome your investment in our future…

We love your missles, honest.

Germany welcomes military investors and industry complex professionals of all levels of experience who share our vision of a prosperous future of preventing or at the very least surviving a Russian attack.

US missiles are welcome in Germany, foreign minister says – Baerbock’s comments came in response to criticism from within the German government coalition.