And Saudi Arabia.
Beautiful German weapons sales of the week.
Because somebody has to admire them.
German weapons exports on course to hit new record – Russia’s war in Ukraine and increased sales to Saudi Arabia helped German arms exports to reach €7.48 billion in the first half of the year.
This time it’s when it comes to avoiding military service in Germany.
Hey. Girls will be girls. I mean, women.
German national service plan ‘discriminates against men’ – All 18-year-olds to get questionnaire but women do not have to fill it out.
PS: This also applies to “trans-women,” of course. However, one aspect of Germany’s recent gender law is very interesting. If it ever came to war – and a draft – these “trans-women” would be treated as men and drafted. This law may be ridiculous, and it is, but at least it legally establishes that there are only two genders and that they are not equal.
But that ain’t gonna happen either.
Germany is thinking about bringing back conscription – But the chancellor is reluctant.
“Kriegstüchtig” does not trip easily off the English tongue. Nor does it fall easily on German ears. Translated roughly as “war-ready”, it is a word deployed by Boris Pistorius, the defence minister, to describe his favoured destination for the long under-resourced Bundeswehr, or armed forces. Money is now pouring in, and Mr Pistorius is overhauling the Bundeswehr’s structures. But like many of its nato allies, Germany is struggling to find enough willing recruits. The minister is among many who want Germany to consider restoring conscription, suspended since 2011, to get the numbers up.
I mean 2029, of course.
But only if nothing unforeseen happens. Like war, or something.
German defense minister calls for war readiness by 2029 – Germany’s Boris Pistorius has said the country needs to prepare for a worst-case scenario regarding the specter of war in Europe. He also said a return to some form of military conscription would likely be necessary.
Germans reply by saying “What do you mean?”
“Just because we’re uncritical, unquestioning and easily taken in doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re naive. It worked with Russia, didn’t it?”
German spy agency warns companies against being too “naive” on China – Germany’s domestic spy agency told companies on Wednesday they should be on guard against industrial espionage by Beijing, warning them not to be naive or over-reliant on China.
The warning from the agency’s deputy head Sinan Selen came days after three German nationals were arrested on suspicion of handing over technology with military applications – a case which has highlighted mounting anxiety across Western Europe about Chinese spying.
What will these crazy Germans dream up next?
Germany’s defense minister overhauls the military command as he seeks ‘war-capable’ armed forces – Germany’s defense minister has announced a plan to streamline and reorganize the country’s military command as part of efforts to make the armed forces of NATO’s most populous European member “war-capable.”
For the other half.
And for some odd reason the younger Germans are much less enthusiastic about the idea than older Germans.
Around half of German citizens are in favour of reintroducing compulsory military service, according to a survey by opinion research institute Forsa.
In the poll commissioned by German news magazine Stern, 52% of respondents were in favour of compulsory military service, the magazine said on Tuesday.
Some 43% were against it and 5% expressed no opinion. According to the data, the strongest supporters of compulsory military service were found in the over-60 age group, with 59% in favour. In contrast, 59% of 18 to 29-year-olds were against compulsory military service.
That means, more or less: “Well, what do you know? It’s possible after all.”
Germany hits 2% NATO spending target for first time since end of Cold War – Germany has met a NATO alliance target to spend 2% of its gross domestic product on defence for the first time since the early 1990s, a defence ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday, as spending ramped up after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The German government is allocating the equivalent of 71.8 billion euros ($76.8 billion) for defence spending in the current year through regular and special budget outlays. However, the sum of its total defence spending is classified.
This has always been the case.
News this is not but it’s amusing to see the media pretend it is.
German defence minister says military is unfit for problems Europe faces – Boris Pistorius says Germany must be ready to confront Putin as he considers allowing non-nationals to join armed forces.
The Germans are running out. They will soon be in the minority.
In their own country.
Germany weighs allowing foreign citizens into the army – A senior lawmaker has told DW a potential scheme could include people not just from current EU members, but also from candidate countries, and provide a quicker path to German citizenship.
Observing Hermann 