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DPA

Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH is one of the largest, independent and internationally active news agencies, With over 50 locations in Germany and more than 80 correspondent offices around the world.

German auditors warn of ‘unlimited’ debt for defence

A 2000 A2 self-propelled howitzer drives on the grounds of the Weiden-Frauenricht military training area on June 27, 2024 at Bavaria, Weiden | File Photo: Armin Weigel/dpa

Germany’s Federal Court of Audit warned that a ‘signal of unlimited willingness to incur debt’ could lead prices in defence industry to soar, with incentives for industry to charge higher prices for the same services due to ‘almost unlimited availability of financial resources and increased demand.’

Germany unveils roadmap to 5% on defence


German Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius gives a statement at the EU Defence Ministers' Meeting in Brussels | Photo: Ansgar Haase/dpa

Defence Minister Boris Pistorius outlined a plan for Germany to increase military expenditure as a ratio of gross domestic product (GDP) by 0.2 percentage points per year over a period of seven years.

Helsing unveils new underwater drone

According to Helsing, hundreds of SG-1 Fathoms can be deployed with the Lura AI software platform by a single operator to autonomously detect threats at 10% of the cost of crewed Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) patrols.

German defence minister: Damage to Baltic Sea cables likely sabotage

German Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius during a visit to OCCAR-EA, the European Organization for Joint Armaments Co-operation (OCCAR) on November 15, 2024 at North Rhine-Westphalia, Bonn | Photo: Thomas Banneyer/dpa

Damage to submarine communication cables between new NATO members Finland and Sweden and their alliance partners Germany and Lithuania was likely sabotage, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Tuesday. “No one believes that these cables were cut by mistake,” Pistorius said in Brussels at an EU defence ministers meeting to discuss the different threats facing the European Union.

German Cabinet approves new military service model to boost numbers

File Photo: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (r) and Boris Pistorius, German Minister of Defence, talk at the start of the German Cabinet meeting on June 12, 2024 in Berlin. Germany's Cabinet approved legislation introducing a new form of military service on November 06, according to government sources | Photo: Kay Nietfeld/dpa

Russia’s war on Ukraine has prompted Germany to revisit its defence posture, which increasingly suffered from a lack of investment since the end of the Cold War as imminent threats appeared to diminish. The legislation must now pass through Germany’s two houses of parliament. It could come into force in May of next year.

German Defence Ministry faces shortfall of €6 billion

German Minister of Defence, Boris Pistorius is pictured during an interview with the German Press Agency (DPA) on November 04, 2024 in Berlin | Photo: Carsten Koall//dpa

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said that the Bundeswehr needs around €58 billion ($63 billion) in 2025 to quickly close capability gaps. “As things stand, we will be allocated around €52 billion”, he said, adding, “That means we will be short of almost €6 billion next year.”

German defence chief warns of Russian military build-up

Carsten Breuer, Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, speaks at the opening of the Bundeswehr Day at the Holzdorf site at Saxony-Anhalt, Holzdorf-Schoenewalde on June 08, 2024. Breuer has said he sees a growing danger in Russia's military build-up | Photo: Frank Hammerschmidt/dpa

“The Russian army increases its number of tanks by 1,000 to 1,500 additional units every year. The five largest European NATO member states together have just half of that in their inventory,” said Germany’s chief of defence Carsten Breuer.

Scholz addresses criticism of German defence spending

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (R) is shown various combat exercises during his visit to the mountain infantry brigade on the Reiteralpe | Photo: Peter Kneffel/dpa

Scholz’s coalition has faced criticism over the small increase in the 2025 budget for defence. “In 2017, we still spent €37 billion ($42 billion) on defence. Now, with the use of the special fund, the Bundeswehr‘s budget is €75 billion. That’s more or less a doubling,” Scholz said.