German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has called for a medium-term increase in defense spending by at least €30 billion.
In light of NATO’s evolving demands and expectations from the future U.S. President Donald Trump, Pistorius emphasized the need for a significant boost to defense funding.
“If there is no special fund, we will need at least €85 billion starting in 2028. That’s €30 billion more than today,” said the Social Democratic Party (SPD) politician.
For the previous year, Germany allocated approximately €52 billion for defense, plus additional funding from a special modernization fund for the Bundeswehr. Together, this represented around 2% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
The Defense Minister explained that Germany should aim for a 3% GDP share dedicated to defense and armament expenditures. “At 3%, we’re talking about just over €120 billion based on today’s GDP,” Pistorius said. However, he acknowledged that Germany is still far from achieving this goal.
Pistorius also called for long-term financial guarantees, even beyond electoral cycles. “We need to plan much more extensively than we have done so far, beyond legislative periods. Specifically, we need a roadmap for the next ten years,” the minister stated.
