- November 07, 2022
- 12:15
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- November 07, 2022
- 14:00
On November 7th, 2022, Aspen Germany hosted a Brown Bag Lunch on the German and European military budget and defense capabilities entitled “Bringing a Knife to a Gun Fight?”. Following the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine, the need to be able to defend against violent attacks has also entered the public consciousness in Germany. Shortly after the invasion, Chancellor Scholz announced a Zeitenwende, and the Bundestag immediately set up a 100 billion euro special fund for the Bundeswehr.
Negative headlines have often dominated media coverage of the Bundeswehr in recent years. Whether missing or defective equipment – the list of shortcomings is long. This makes the special fund, which is intended to ensure the Bundeswehr’s ability to defend itself, all the more important.
Of course, it is not enough to simply provide financial resources and trust that the existing problems will take care of themselves. The special fund must be used properly. Chancellor Scholz and Defense Minister Lambrecht advocated for more planning, development and procurement at European level. This is where we would like to start with our event: Where is the investment most urgently needed? What needs to change in politics so that the money can be used effectively to expand Germany’s and Europe’s defense capabilities? What defense capabilities do we have and what should the Bundeswehr build? Is the 100 billion budget even big enough? In which areas should Germany cooperate with European partners?
We discussed these and more questions with our Experts Elmar Brok, Senior Fellow at Aspen Germany, Imke Kügele, Board Member of BundeswehrGrün e.V. & Lawyer with the Bundeswehr, and Matthias Wachter, Head of the Department International Cooperation, Security, Raw Materials and Space, BDI e.V. The event is part of Aspen Germany’s Global Threats Series.
