American reacts to "Why The German Military will become Europe's most powerful"
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- Опубликовано: 9 фев 2025
- Thank you for watching me, a humble American, react to The German Military will become Europe's most powerful
Original video: • The German Military wi...
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I find it funny that the allies spent decades, making shure Germany would never be a military threat ever again, and after they succeeded, they started complaning about it.
so true
Fr😂
It's Not that funny Bud Ehm Doppelmoralisch 😅
Truest comment of today
Decades? One decade. Germany was rearmed in 1955, because of the reality of the Cold War.
The original video has probably so many views because every German who reads the title expects to have a good laugh watching it 😂
Deshalb bin ich hier......
@@i.336ich auch😂
Exactly 😂😂😂😂
Yeah that's definitely the reason, like fear german military? Lmfao
Ich auch@@i.336
10:00
You need to understand: A tank in Germany is considered not ready for combat if a headlight is broken. So in real war, well over 90% would be combat ready...
ahaha .. Dein Wort in Gottes Gehörgang Brudi
@@dasmcc8879 Wäre nicht abwegig, bedenkt man wie die deutschen drauf sind 😂
da würde ich jetzt nicht drauf wetten. Ich glaube leider, das der Zustand der BW so schlecht ist, wie er dargestellt wird.
Ja stell Dir mal vor, der kriegt keine grüne Feinstaubplakette! Wie soll er da im Ernstfall in die Stadt rein kommen?!
Ist schon ne Weile her (2004/2005) als ich zur Bundeswehr war, aber ich kann mich daran erinnern, dass wir einen Motor dreimal gehoben haben und dann drei Luchse mit dem gleichen Motor zur Inspektion gefahren haben...
a popular German satire show (the Heute Show) recently said "if all armies in the world were equipped like the Bundeswehr, there would be no wars"
I saw that...they also made fun of how many German Helmuts were dropped.
its an anti German show, those are lefties that hate their own Nation
This army is a joke and it will stay that way!
I read somebody say McKinsey did more to the demilitarization than any talks.
@@ingrudmessenger1193 And I read that this army is a joke and it will stay that way!
You have to bear one thing in mind when you say “our friends are protecting us”:
After the end of the Second World War and the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), comprehensive military restrictions were introduced to demilitarize Germany and prevent rearmament. These restrictions were part of the Potsdam Agreement (1945) and the London Agreement (1949).
Ban on rearmament: Germany was forbidden to maintain its own army or produce weapons.
East-West division: Germany was divided into a western and an eastern zone, with the western zone under US, British and French administration, while the eastern zone was under Soviet administration.
Bundeswehr: The Federal Republic of Germany was only allowed to set up a limited, defense-oriented armed force, the Bundeswehr. This was limited to 495,000 men and could only be deployed in the event of an attack on German territory.
NATO integration: The Bundeswehr became part of NATO in 1955 in order to strengthen the defense of the Federal Republic and mitigate the threat posed by the Soviet Union.
Limits on foreign operations: The Bundeswehr was only allowed to be deployed outside German territory in the event of a United Nations mandate or as part of NATO operations.
Ban on nuclear weapons: Germany was not allowed to produce or possess nuclear weapons.
Limits on military expenditure: Germany's military spending was limited and had to be approved by the Federal Government and the Bundestag.
These restrictions were intended to deter Germany from renewed aggression and ensure stability in Europe. They remained in force even after the end of the Cold War and the reunification of Germany in 1990, albeit with a number of changes and extensions. Today, the Bundeswehr is part of NATO and participates in international missions, but is still subject to certain restrictions and controls.
It can be stated that the military restrictions imposed on Germany after the Second World War were defined and implemented by the Allies, in particular and mostly from the USA, Great Britain, France and the Soviet Union. And now everyone is howling because the German army is not better equipped and the newly elected anti-authority of the USA was screaming after his first visit to office that he no longer wanted to protect it, so how is an army supposed to exist if it is controlled and restricted from outside?
@@Arch_Angelus thanks, I wanted to write something along those lines but didn't have the time.
However, that is probably only partially true! After all, the Bundeswehr was continually reduced in size after reunification, to below the level we were granted. Before 1990, there were around 600,000 men under arms, as far as I can remember! And today there are less than half!
The result of austerity measures, because Putin's Russia was now considered completely harmless! While we were diligently disarming, the Kremlin dictator did exactly the opposite in order to prepare for exactly what we have now been experiencing for years. A real imperialist war in the middle of Europe!
Creating peace "without" weapons has "never" worked. Especially not with Russia as a neighbor!
THIS!
The next US President doesn't understand this, due to his lack of general education, and due to his lack of interest in it.
The "protection" was also due to this restrictions.
So one could argue, whether all of this is still valid and sensible today, or not, of course. But this can't be changed by turning a switch. And if the US doesn't want to protect anymore (simply speaking), or less, then this should be discussed together, and one would need a solution.
Another problem is, that due to it's history, and maybe also because of these restrictions, the "ordinary German" has a complete different view on his own military, than eg a US citizen. Military is generally perceived as something bad. Shouldn't be that way, maybe, but many people are raised that way, and you can't just turn the switch. That makes it harder for any government, to raise expenses for the military.
Also something that is not understood by the next president.
And later the 2+4 Treaty too
The Problem ist that the German Military apparatus ist so big and inefficient that all the Money gets eaten up by the administrative processes and does Not necessarily result in Military strenght.
Cmon, we have a space force. Even Darth Vader was present at the introduction ceremony...
Not true.
@@tomtom34b this was one of the most embarrising shit ive seen in a long time but yea it fits kind of
Or not!
This army is a joke and it will stay that way!
German Warships:
4 x Frigate type F123
3 x Frigate type F124
4 x Frigate type F125 (considered the most modern in the world)
6 Corvettes, 5 more are in construction
6 Submarines (considered most modern non-nuclear submarines in the world)
...and a lot of tenders, speedboats, minesweeper, amphibious vessels, etc.
But to be fair: Not so long ago none of those six great submarines was operational. And most of those frigates are not suited for war with Russia. As at the time of their construction noone expected that to be a relevant scenario any more. Which will turn out to be correct after the collapse of Russia and the secession of Königsberg.
6 x F126 frigates are under construction.
6 x F127 frigates are to be ordered in 2025.
2 x Class 212 CD submarines are under construction.
3 x intelligence ships are under construction.
2 x Tankers are under construction.
And many more.
10:05 One thing needs to be noted on these numbers - most of the stuff that would be considered "not operational" with the German armed forces would be absolutely fine for 90% of the worlds other armed forces, including many NATO allies. A tank or aircraft being one day late on it's regular inspections is considered "not operational" in the Bundeswehr, even if it's working perfectly well. Same goes if just one of the indicator lights isn't working, it's not operational.
Wanted to say the same thing. You are absolutely right. Most of the "not operational" stuff would be back to operational in the matter of days, if it would be really necessary.
Do german tanks also indicate what side they are turning on the battlefield? 😂😂
i don thtink so. Remember the maneuver, where all of germans armoured troops carriers simply broke down? no the equipment needs massive overhaul
@@hypnoticGrill as someone who served in the vehicle service section of a air landing regiment...yes, that's exactly how it is.
The incident you're referencing happened with the new Puma IFV's and as it turned out, most of the stuff could be fixed within 30 minutes and it was a lack of the training regime of the crews that let it happen at all. All vehicles were returned fully operational two weeks later, after they spent less than 2 days at Rheinmetall for a maintenance checkup.
by German standards Russia's army would be
Many data points in the video are actually incorrect.
The issue with the G36 rifle is not that it is inaccurate, but that it overheats during sustained fire with a drum magazine, leading to a loss of precision. Every German infantryman will tell you that the G36 is the best assault rifle they’ve ever fired.
Regarding the Navy:
It is true that Germany has no aircraft carriers or destroyers. However, Germany possesses several frigates that are modular and versatile, such as the F-126, also known as the Niedersachsen-class.
Additionally, German attack submarines are the quietest in the world. There’s a reason why the US Navy was upset when a German submarine surfaced next to a simulated aircraft carrier during a NATO exercise, having remained undetected by the entire escort fleet.
Regarding the Air Force:
It is correct that Germany has only two combat-ready Eurofighters. However, the emphasis here is on "combat-ready." These two Eurofighters are constantly manned and ready to scramble at any time. The other Eurofighters are technically operational but lack a 24/7 standby crew. They can be mobilized at any time.
The only reason for acquiring the F-35 is its aircraft carrier compatibility, enabling joint operations with allied forces from aircraft carriers. Overall, the Eurofighter surpasses the F-35 in maneuverability, speed, and weapons load.
Regarding Helicopters:
The PAH 2 (Eurocopter Tiger) does represent a weakness. Germany depends on different configurations based on weather conditions. Unfortunately, the wrong spare parts were delivered in Mali, causing a crash. Parts intended for temperate climates were sent, and Mali's harsh conditions caused the failure.
From a technological standpoint, the PAH 2 still outperforms the Apache. With its sensor dome and mast-mounted optics, the Tiger can engage targets behind mountains without exposing itself.
Air Defense:
The Mantis is the most powerful stationary close-range air defense system currently available in NATO. Combined with the Patriot system, the Bundeswehr has a strong air defense network.
Rheinmetall is also working on making the Mantis compatible with the GTK Boxer vehicle. Mantis automatically detects and intercepts mortars, drones, and rockets with high precision.
While Germany's radar systems are considered outdated, during the Air Defender 2023 exercise, the Bundeswehr intercepted all simulated US Air Force intrusions before they even reached German airspace. The older technology managed to counter US stealth aircraft.
Regarding Infantry:
German infantry has a weakness: limited training in close-quarters combat (CQB). As seen from the standard Flecktarn camouflage, the Bundeswehr is specialized in open-field combat. This is changing due to the war in Ukraine.
Germany now uses the GTK Boxer infantry fighting vehicle.
The Bundeswehr also excels through one key unit: Panzergrenadiers. This concept is rarely found within NATO. France, for example, is currently establishing a Panzergrenadier unit. Ukraine's success against Russian tanks is partly due to its Panzergrenadiers.
Panzergrenadiers are the backbone of the German Army.
Additionally, few nations have as many special forces as Germany. From combat divers and mountain troops to paratroopers and the KSK (Special Forces Command), these units are highly trained and frequently operate abroad.
However, Germany’s doctrine prioritizes minimizing losses. Despite 10 years of deployment in Mali, the Bundeswehr suffered only three fatalities and 13 injuries. The Defense Ministry still considered the mission a failure due to these losses, highlighting the Bundeswehr's strong emphasis on protecting its personnel.
Conclusion:
Overall, the Bundeswehr can be considered one of the best-trained armies in NATO.
A colleague of mine, stationed with the Panzergrenadiers in Erfurt, claims that if Germany were to intervene in the Ukraine war, the Bundeswehr would cut through Russia like a hot knife through butter.
7:52 well, maybe we only have 6 submarines...but we're talking about the new boats...and remember, an old boat sneaked into a US carrier formation and took a photo of the carrier through the sea pipe...which in the exercise meant the sinking of the carrier...so imagine what we can do with the new ones that can be located as easily as a Coke can in the Atlantic
This chart is total BS. Germany has 6 diesel-electric submarines. They are compared to the 10 nuclear french submarines like they are the same.
@@BonBaisers the actual submarine type is U212A. They are run by diesel engines along with hydrogen fuel cells which makes them full silent, nearly not detectable. If there is something an US or russian admiral does not want to see, then one of these subs with an experienced german Captain on board is going to dive....
@@MrBubbleJet I know, and I would neverf underestimate a german submarine, ever. But comparing those diesel/electric subs to nuclear submarines is non sense. French subs can stay 30 years under water without having to surface (of course you need food...) and half have nuclear warheads. Sorry, that's another level.
@@BonBaisers The advantage of nculear subs is not the question. You need such long term operations only for subs used as secondary nuclear strike capability. And those are still big and loud.
The german ones are developed for the shallow water of the north and east sea. They do not have to operate in long term.
@@MrBubbleJet Even behing massive they, of course, have stealth technologies. They are constently upgraded on that field to be state of art. They are the primary strike capability. The nuclear deterrence include the fact that you can't know and target the striking capabilities of a country. The 4 active subs that have 16 nuclear M-51 missiles each, can be anywhere in the world and no one knows where they are, even in the high command, their patrol pattern is generated and can only be revealed by specific security protocol. With that strategy in place, you can't disable France's (and europe's) nuclear strike capacities. That's the true nuclear deterrence.
Reminds me of “Soldiers! We've finally managed to get permission to change our underwear! Let's get started right away! ... Meier changes with Schmitz, Krause changes with Schultz....."
Otto btw 🤩
I refer to the beginning of the video. As a soldier who has been serving since 2009, I believe I have a fairly good insight into the military by now. We are all familiar with those press reports: "Aircraft that can't fly," "Tanks that don't run," "Rifles that overheat," etc. These are only partially correct.
Example 1: Rifles
Our rifles (G36) do not overheat because they are poorly designed. They overheat because clueless lobbyists were tasked with procuring ammunition. When using the "wrong" ammunition, malfunctions can indeed occur.
Example 2: Tanks
Many Leopard 2 tanks were decommissioned despite being in perfect working condition. The reason (no joke) was that the emission levels in the rear loading area exceeded a threshold that could potentially cause premature births in pregnant soldiers after their eighth month of pregnancy.
Very often, we have flawless military equipment, but nonsensical German safety regulations prevent us from using it.
However, what is undoubtedly true is that we lack sufficient personal equipment. The officially issued gear is simply outdated. Whether it's boots, holsters, clothing, mess kits, gloves, flashlights, or similar items, I estimate that over my 15 years of service, I have spent approximately €10,000 of my own money on private equipment.
warte bis Du von - to be LIX - und - Scientia Humanitas Civitatis - hörst. Dann wird es Deine Aufgabe sein aufzustehen und sich zu melden und die Aufgabe von Euch Allen sein, zu definieren, was Eure persönlichen Bedürfnisse sind. Dass unsere Industrie zum Ende der Depression damit übergreifend beschäftigt wird.
Ich hab nach der AGA ein halbes Jahr in der Insta verbracht bevor ich versetzt wurde. Ich hab gesehen, wie schnell so ein Wiesel "aus dem Verkehr gezogen" wurde, wenn Ölverlust war oder die Rücklichter bei Manöver beschädigt wurden.
from a health and safty point of vew, this whole Pregnant women in fighting vehicles thing, is a mystery to me. In civilian live no pregnant woman would be working on a vehicle that has a risk level anything near a fighting tank.
@@kleinweichkleinweich ja ach ne...das ist ja das absurde
@kleinweichkleinweich it's a bs regulation that doesn't have any real life application anyway
Don't overestimate the German military. The comedian Volker Pispers once said: The Bundeswehr is intended to stop enemies at our borders until military shows up.
2:10 Hehe, the video is a bit old, our soldiers now have enough underwear and other things. Now they are faced with a new problem. They don't have enough lockers to store all the materials. 😂
10:40 You won't believe it, but in our country a tank is not operational if one of the indicator lights is not working. That means dozens of tanks are not operational. 😂
Im Strassenverkehr muss ein Panzer links blinken können, wenn er links abbiegen will. Rechts blinken oder abbiegen verbietet sich sowieso, das wäre ja schon faschistisch!
Addendum: Deutsche Panzer sollten sowieso immer nur geradeaus fahren. Alles Andere wie z.B. Abbiegen zeugt nur von schlechter Planung... /Jking
@@tomtom34b Naja bis zur Front muss er in Deutschland auf den straßen verkehrstauglich sein. 🙈😛
If you have to fight in the winter, you definitely want underwear. And overwear. And betweenwear. And more woolen socks.
if we had enough of those 80 years ago, we probably wouldn't write in english now...
without underwear, German military must go “full commando“…. LOL
I should be ashamed of myself for finding this to be a good pun.
That's how comando units operate I was told
There is a saying here in Germany "The Bundeswehr's purpose is to confuse the russians on the border as long as it can, until the actualy military (US-military) shows up."
But increasing the military spending in Germany will bring no improvements whatsoever, since all the money gets eaten up by the massively overblown administrative apparatus. Even if Germany increased it's military budget by 20bn$, it will still take decades for the Bundeswehr to get ready for war. Bureaucracy does it's best to prevent Germany from any kind of progress.
Das stimmt so nicht. Herr Pistorius hat bereits viele Waffensysteme bestellt, die in den nächsten Jahren kommen werden. Auch mit der Einsatzbereitschaft hätte die Bundeswehr eigentlich keine großen Probleme. Laut einer meiner Freunde, der bei der Bundeswehr ist, ist ein Fahrzeug bereits "nicht einsatzbereit", wenn nur ein kleines Lämpchen nicht funktioniert. Eine perfekte Armee gibt es weder in den USA, noch in anderen Staaten. Die Bundeswehr ist eine weitaus bessere Armee, als Sie denken
@@lukaswesthoff1030 English, please.
Kollege was laberst du , jedes anderes Land ist besser bewaffnet als Deutschland mit weitaus weniger Kohle ,bist du ein Drecksbeamter?
German, cold war Veteran here.....the German population never has been proud of their Armed Forces past 1945.....as a German Soldier you never would have heard something like "thank you for your service"....if you were wearing uniform in public....more the contrary.
Das kann man ja ändern. Danke
"Cold War Veteran"... In which battle did you fight? The battle of the 6 beer bottles of Idar-Oberstein in 1982?
In which country does any normal person say that? Not counting politicians, who say that right before they cut the army budget.
"Thank you for your service"...Being called a murderer is more likely.
@@denniskrenz2080 That is a very common, albeit pretty much US only, thing. Still, need define the relative terms of "normal" and "common" at that of course. ;)
In any case, don't really know how it came to be that way. It seem to be driven by some peer pressure lizard brain reaction of not wanting to risk being seen as unpatriotic. Because if you don't respect the "patriots", how can you not be?
"and invests the money wisely" - we will absolutely not do that. Not a chance.
hey, at least VdL isn't in charge anymore. Well, in charge of German military specifically. How that woman is still politically active after showing her profound corruption is beyond me.
Yeah, this money will just disappear. We are one of the most corrupt countries in the world, but wie call it ✨bureaucracy✨
@@kisakisakura6663 She got promoted for her corruption, that's the most hilarious thing ever.
@@kisakisakura6663 I think there's a word coined just for that issue. I think it starts with a "c".
This video is 2 years old und Germany is miles away from beeing the most powerful military country in Europe.
Our “luck” is that Russia has obviously overreached itself with the war in Ukraine and did not expect this resistance of the people there. In the meantime, it looks like the Russian population has no desire to go to that war and Putin is paying men in poor countries all over the world to go to war for him. There are cries for help online from Pakistani men who were hired and didn't know they were going to war. In the meantime, there is evidence that northern Creans are being deployed on the front line in Ukraine.
Just as with Germany cutting ties with Russian energy imports, as soon as it was announced, you get clueless people complaining "What's the holdup? Just do it *now*! How hard can it be?". And yet, it took only just over a year.
Same thing here - it's been two years(!) to turn a neglected "just in case" army to one that can effectively protect Europe, and people are complaining how Germany doesn't have 15 aircraft carriers and 3000 tanks yet, so clearly, nothing is being done. "Just make them! Just buy them! Easy-peasy!"
Shit takes time. If you want it faster, you need to spend far more money than an extra 100 billion once. But try selling that to taxpayers.
Stuff needs time and the direction is set, especially now that Donald Orange is back.
Nope - not in Germany... We are still far behind regarding invest.
Better count on poland! They are really upgrading their military. Not us 😑
We are only good in inventing right now. Buying and maintaining is up to others...
Plus - we dont have trained soldiers 🤷 And draftable generations are more or less not suited to become a soldier. Unless they can shoot pictures for instagram😶🌫️🤐 but please dont give them real rifles 🙈
@@Keksemann666 do u meen Donald Duck?
@Slowk_Panda nah he a good guy.
Fun fact: the money is burnt and we still don’t have underwear 😂 but f35 will come. Sometime
No, the underwear problem has been solved by now. But now they actually don't know where to store all of this. Now they desperately need new lockers.
"Operational" is a matter of definition, and the German definition is: "If a vehicle is not 100% perfect, it's not operational. Broken headlight? Nope! Driver's seat needs some stitches? Nope! A nasty scratch from mowing down a tree? Nope! Regular inspection one day over due? Big Nope! Mandatory first aid kit (relevant for being street legal) missing or too old? Oh hell nah!" So if we take e.g. the Russian definition of operational, we would be fine. But this is Germany...
Tbh i just want our own Nuclear weapons for germany.
We still have US Nuclear weapons here and the US is planning to bring more here by 2026.
I mean come on, after WW2 our military was sanctioned and we are pretty much not allowed to have or do anything and now with Trump the USA is abandoning us but still wants us to house their weapons and our pilots are supposed to fly those bombs if a war should come.
Everyone expects us to protect the EU but don't want us to have weapons or military😂
Aus gutem Grund. Der Schoss ist fruchtbar noch, aus dem das kroch.
I agree. The US power is based upon being able to tell smaller allies what to do, stationing weapons and soldiers in tactical positions, spying on everyone everywhere etc.
If they keep on toying with our safety ("I'll tell Putin to do whatever he wants to do"), we'll need our own nuclear weapons and make our own decisions without catering to US needs.
The US can't have its cake and eat it too
@@m420-nd1if English, please.
And what is it you want to tell us?
We don't have experience. People from that time aren't alive anymore.
There are still combat veterans from ISAF KFOR and SFOR nato missions where germany was also involved in active combat. Now it cant be compared to fighting a conventional war against a modern country but the guys still got shot at and blown up.
@@sickmit3481 Each of those missions were AFTER wars. I don't think you can use the same tactics for a war.
@@Lisa-xn9xc
DE: Heiklige Gebiete wären: der Südsudan, die West Sahara und der Irak. Das sind nur die Missionsländer, welche offiziell, heute noch, für Bodentruppen mandiert wurden. Vergiss niemals Afghanistan, Kosovo u.v.m.
EN: Delicate areas would be: South Sudan, Western Sahara, and Iraq. These are just the mission countries that are officially still mandated for ground troops today. Never forget Afghanistan, Kosovo, and many more.
1. Germany has destroyers
2. One of the UK's aircraft carriers is constantly broken, the other has no aircraft or escort ships and in France it is similar, the aircraft carrier has been under overhaul for half a year.
Germany technically has none, for historical reasons, practically it does have suspiciously destroyer-sized "frigates."
@@drsnova7313The US/Nato should decide whether they like a full armed Germany or a low budget Germany with 1.4 % of gdp.. Germany is leading in selling high tech weapons, but unable to create its own army.
@@drsnova7313We also dont have rifles, only carbines, what a coincidence
@@drsnova7313 What is "destroyer-sized"? You talking about those small rowboats that made hunt on submarines in WWI?
@@steemlenn8797 The german F125 "frigates" are as big as the british Daring class destroyers.
Very old video and it leaves out quiet a lot, for example we dont have destroyers, because we dont call them that for political reasons, we have ships that are equivalent to other nations destroyers...
Only in size, not armament
EU Made Simple is coping here really hard (tbf, he couldn't know 2 years ago) considering that from the announcement of the "Zeitenewende" almost 3 years ago they literally did nothing to improve their military. At this point and time, at least within the next 10 - 15 years Poland's military will become Europe's most powerful force (at least in terms of ground forces).
PS: Just for the record. Once Poland replenishes its stocks it will have more modern tanks than Germany, UK, France combined and it will have more self-proppeled rocket artillery than the freaking US (seriously).
and they would still die from the use of nuclear weapons in a few hours and the question is whether the US would intervene or whether Russia and the US would simply negotiate after the use of nuclear weapons. So that no nuclear weapon is used on the US and the US does not use one on Russia.
Russia also has the strategy of always having a lot on paper but big numbers don't always mean that you have the ability to use it well or that you couldn't have spent the money differently with more use for the military.
Many HIMARS, for example, are of little use if you don't have enough ammunition for them.
Dieser Kommentarbereich ist jetzt Eigentum der Bundes Republik Deutschland
Germany is the 3th biggest military material producer in the world, in peace time. Enough said. Books are full.
Producing and selling, yes.
I think you mean 3rd
@@sabinebluhmentahl9275 Yes and the point is that in case of war those products would obviously not be delivered but used by germany, just explaining in case you missed the point.
@dargus1718 True, if we have the personel and the will to use all of it ourselves. I don't see that right now.
@@dargus1718 exactly
Without watching, I can ensure you that nobody has to be afraid of the German military.
The video is 2 years old. So here are the top 5 defense spending of NATO countries in 2024 in dollars.
Official NATO figures:
1. US $967,707 billion = 3.38% share of GDP
2. Germany $97,686 billion = 2.12% share of GDP
3. UK $82,107 billion = 2.33% share of GDP
4. France $64,271 billion = 2.06% share of GDP
5. Poland $34,975 billion = 4.12% share of GDP
Not mentioned: the disarmament of the German armed forces was and still is proactively restricted after WWII in fear of Germany. And the approach to spend all defense budget in States is an incentive neither.
Germany never agreed on the 2% and an exemption was offered, dirty
Little detail mentioned neither.
Where military works together (and this is the case already in joined Nato manoeuvres, which take place regularly) the lingua franca will always be English. All commands, be it in Navy, Air Force, or Army, are already mostly given in English anyway, in particular when high-tech weapons will be used, or where air traffic is concerned.
To be fair, in Germany, if an indicator on a military truck is broken, the vehicle is deemed not operational.
7:53 Germany has the F125 which is in both size and role comparable to a destroyer. We just don’t like to call it that because frigate sounds nicer and less aggressive
Ir's the destroyer and German in the same sentance -panics the Americans
That part about the number of destroyers kinda glosses over the fact that Germany‘s frigates tend to be larger than some other nations destroyers, with original proposals for the planned F127 class air-defense frigates being basically cruiser sized.
An EU army wouldn't be that difficult due to language, yes we have a lot of languages in the EU, but ALOT of people in the EU are at the very least bilingual if not multilingual, I'd be willing to bet that the overbearing majority of us all know English at least besides our native language...
Might be true for people born in the late 80s or 90s, but most certainly not for older generations.
@@vornamenachname1572 My parents were born 1923 und 1925 and both spoke English. My mother nearly fliently, my father learnt French as well. My father was a skilled craftsman, my mother a secretary.
@@vornamenachname1572 Not true. I was born in 1963 and well educated in English. Also, American and British music had become very popular and mainstream culture.
An EU army is pretty much impossible for political and leadership reasons. If you create a unit comprised of soldiers of 10 nations, you now have 10 nations who want to have a say in everything that unit does. Good luck getting anything done.
7:50 I think there are a couple of important things that were missed as far as sea power goes. Yes, germanys Marine isn’t very powerful when compared to France or UK or Russia, but we also barely have any coastline compared to those countries. The German coastline is about 3624 km, the UK‘s about 19717 km and France‘s about 7330 km according to the World Resources Institute, so it would make sense that our Navy is smaller. Add to that that a lot of that coastline is of the baltic sea, where Large Warships like Aircraft carriers and Destroyers are likely kind of useless (Not a Military expert, this is Just a well educated guess) and you can see why this comparison might not make a lot of sense. Also: as far as I am aware, germany does not, and will never own a destroyer, as that classification doesn’t exist in the German Navy. They are all frigates, even though they would be destroyers by American classification. Again, I‘m no military expert, so this is all just my personal opinion, but I don’t see why the german Navy should be comparable to that of France and UK. A better comparison might be Sweden or some other state with access to the Baltic sea…
The point of a Navy is to project strength outside your country. If you don't want to do that (as Germany) there is no need for a big Navy.
For pure defense purposes against enemy ships, land-based aircrafts and a few hundred anti-ship-missiles are more cost-effective.
The boat people are there to project power and in lack of overseas territories, we don't need those🤗
Ah yes, coastlines... never look into how effed the measurement of those are and how inconsistent the standards are between areas (costal paradox if you want to look into it). If you look at Wikipedia citing the World Factbook aka the CIA, you'll see that there it get's reduced to 2350 km to the 3624 by the World Resource Institute WRI. Needless to say, with but eyes, one can decern that Germany's access is more limited.
I personally also like to point out, that around 500 km (depending on measurement up to 1100 km) of that shoreline is tied to the Wadden Sea. The Wadden Sea has roughly an area of 10 000 kilometers squared (about 1,869,113 football fields). It is a particular shallow Sea, 50 meters at it's deepest, making crossing by ship like ferries and cargo vessels dependent on the tides, and crossing it with big ships such as the destroyer impossible.
During low tide up to 3 700 km² have no water level to speak of, to the point one can walk from island to island by foot, as long as the journey is feasible during low tide. So, yeah. Our access to the North Sea is not really optimal for a military fleet...
To add: A lack of need for global power projection is definitely a reason why the German military is the way it is, as especially aircraft carriers but also vessels like destroyers are meant for that. Another reason is that the body of water we're most concerned about is the east sea. If we were to be attacked from there, which is the most likely, anything bigger than a frigate is of limited use. In fact, the terrain favors smaller vessels like the recently decommissioned (RIP) Schnellboots that can blend in with civilian vessels, hide around the small coastal islands and attack from concealment.
I don't think the Germany army is the strongest military in Germany. 😅
I became a recruit in 1999. And since it was in the end of the year, the first thing we were taught was that we had to buy our own toilet paper because the budget was gone. That showed us immediately where we ended up...
Shortage in underwear - that´s why they call them "shorts". 😄
Thank you for your open mind and your work
Don’t worry Ryan. Even with all hypotheticals and what ifs coming true, the US still has 10 times the funding, 50 times the power and roughly 1000 times the stockpile of the Bundeswehr.
Until the second Iraq War started by G.W. Bush Germany had a limited ability to even participate in international peace keeping missions. German troops were never supposed to set foot on foreign soil again (basically an assurance to the world after WW2 of no more shenanigans like the Anschluss of Austria, or the occupation of the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia). So if you saw any German soldier on foreign soil it was an almost guaranteed reason to at least apprehend that person for potential war crimes.
Even UN mandates were eyed very warily by the German public.
When Germany joined NATO it was stipulated that German military were ONLY allowed on foreign soil if there was a full NATO call for the protection of another NATO member due to foreign aggression OR the UN mandated a peacekeeping force AFTER all military actions had been finished.
That was the reason why the call to participate in Afghanistan and Iraq was highly controversial in Germany as these were OFFENSIVE wars, not defensive, no matter how much political spin was put on them. It was a US led invasion of two sovereign countries under the guise of protecting the USA pro-actively (what a bitch of a word, proactively) from terrorist attacks.
However terrorists aren't a nation; terrorists don't declare wars, terrorists have no official borders. As such a 'war on terrorism' was a political construct to placate the minds of the public.
NATO couldn't pull a mandate out of its a$$ because there was no aggressive nation to defend against. That's why Germany basically refused to participate in combat missions unless they were assaulted as part of a peace keeping force.
In essence both Afghanistan and Iraq were offensive wars of conquering resources and eliminating unwanted elements in those countries. Nothing more.
All of that was true for Germany for a long time (most of the last 60+ years).
When the USA forced their political views on the rest of the world, assaulting sovereign countries for the fatal mistake of harboring terrorists within their borders the role of the German military changed dramatically. When the Mango Mussolini reared its spray-tanned head and said he wouldn't protect Germany, or even NATO anymore for not paying their NATO participation, he was spouting the same bovine fertilizer he always does. The agreement was that by 2025 all NATO countries were supposed to spend 2% of their GDP on military infrastructure. Not before, not more. Especially there are no NATO 'fees' to pay. The USA doesn't receive a cut, or a participation, of other countries' investments. It's the part of the GDP each year that has to be spent on military investments for all NATO members respectively.
Then came 2022 with Putin's Russia attacking Ukraine. However that wasn't the overture, nor the first act. It was the continuation of aggressive annexation of neighboring countries since the 'military intervention' in Georgia, and the annexation of the Krim in 2014. Except that the Ukrainians didn't roll over and play dead as Putin expected (or even the rest of the world).
Every major military leader in the world expected the Russian army to steamroll the Ukrainians, and end the war within a few weeks.
Well, a 'short successful war' as propagated by dictators or other megalomanic leaders rarely turns out as such (Germany, WW1, cough).
Since 2014 leaders around the world have pushed Germany to rearm. As Germany is a fairly rich country, with loads of production capabilities.
But we have engrained in our mindset a 'no offensive principle' to such a degree that it will take quite some time to rectify it.
a EU army would be the strongest in the world. just thinking about how many member there are.
The EU Army would be possible. You could no longe decide if your people going to war. Foreigners would decide if you sons, fathers and brothers fight in a war not their vote.
At the moment the most powerful non nuclear military in Europe has to be Poland.
As a German i think France and GB have the most powerful military in Europe and that won't change in the next couple of years.
Poland is making good effort on non nuclear forces.
7:01 Germany has a limit on national borrowing, the "Schuldenbremse" (Debt brake).
But it can be overridden with a 2/3 majority.
9:26 HX-2 Karma. A fully locall built AI swarm drone for Ukraine.
Karma is a drone.
Hx 2 Sounds Like elon muss child
As an german i can say, our Government is crap. If they would spend that amount of money which they spend in other countries the german bundeswehr could be so nice and also the cities, street, technology and much more. Lot of failure in our government
Pass auf Anzeige ist bald raus :D (man weiß heutzutage nie, bei den aktuellen Sachen die schon auf twitter abgingen)
"As a german I can say" . German here too, no need to fall for this guys simple thaughts..
Du sprichst nicht für Deutschland - krieg dich ein
Pls. remember history. Most countries around us are not happy with the idea of a strong German army.
Remember when German tanks where requested for Ukraine. Our government made sure that US tanks are also there (at least promised), because „German tanks at the Russian border“ was the first narrative brought to Russians to get them to support the „still ongoing patriotic war“.
To military spending:
We don’t need to spend more to go above 2%, if the future comes as to expect.
dont forget, the military has to abide to civilian regulations in those statistics, if a breaklight doesnt work or the reflective sticker on a tank isnt visible enough it is declared non operational
I am German, born 1972. in my school we were told, that germany is a badevilracist country. We were NOT allowed to be proud of our country, especially the military would be something to be ashamed of. Showing the German flag was considered to be Nazi. I am not complaining, it was just like that.
Oh, the class that was called "shame" - I remeber!
ich bin Jahrgang 60, Deine Aussage erklärt nicht nur das Problem der Bundeswehr sondern die meisten die wir aktuell haben .......
@@rainermarx5217ich bin meine ersten 12 Jahre in der DDR aufgewachsen und hab da solche Dinge nicht gehört
This is bullshit. No one in school told you to be ashamed and that Germany is an evil state. Yes, being a patriot was uncommon and considered nationalist. But that’s it.
Ich bin Deutscher, geboren 1982 und in meiner Schule wurde uns erzählt das wir stolz sein können auf das was wir sind und was wir erreicht haben in unserer Demokratie und das wir uns hüten müssen vor Wiederholungen von Fehlern der Vergangenheit. Mein Klassenlehrer war selbst noch Kriegsteilnehmer und hat alle seine Schüler eindringlich gewarnt das niemals wieder Menschen in Deutschland an die Macht kommen dürfen die aus gutem Patriotismus schlechten Nationalismus machen und rechtes, faschistisches Gedankengut verbreiten. Man hat uns gesagt das die Wiedervereinigung eine Chance ist den beiden deutschen Völkern die niemals hätten getrennt werden dürfen zu neuer Blüte zu verhelfen. Ich habe mich nach der Schule entschieden in der Bundeswehr Dienst zu tun um einen Beitrag zur deutschen Gesellschaft als Bürger in Uniform zu leisten. Auch wenn die Zeiten nicht immer rosig waren habe ich die Entscheidung meinen Eid auf Deutschland und seine demokratische Grundordnung zu leisten niemals bereut.
my husband was a soldier in the german army for 37 years. we have seen the downfall of the german army. they cut the budget for the army again and again, so there literally was not enough money left to get new tanks and other stuff. they had to take parts out of 4 damaged tanks to keep one alive to give soldiers at least one functional tank. it was so sad to watch this and now the government is screaming: we need more. thing is, even if they order more now, it will take YEARS to get up to a point, where we are able to have a real functional army again. not to forget, the job as soldier is NOT considered as honorable in germany. so, there are not enough young people here, who even would consider to join the army. since the wehrpflicht was stopped in 2011, (it was never abolished) there are even less people joining now.
Germany and the military? Since when?
since German military, the navy and additional the NATO HQ is now in Rostock/Germany stationed this year.
@@beckysam3913 its a national HQ, not a NATO HQ, as any NATO installations on formerly German Democratic Republic (aka east Germany) soil are forbidden by treaty.
I as a german believe that we effectively need a EU army for every serious scenario anyway. If some kind of defensive war breaks out we would definitely need to cooperate with the other EU armies. If the EU is incapable of quickly building functional command structures and working ways to coordinate the different battalions of troops from different countries we are doomed.
I have no problem with this military being politically unwieldy to use eg. requiring large majorities for parliamentarian votes but we need to have something in place for deterrence and disaster prevention.
I don‘t want to debate this out when some kind of catastrophe happens.
@@NephTheNeph I think that it changes the fundamental structure of NATO if military aid in a crisis is optional and encouraging other countries to attack other NATO members is happening.
The USA are by large the biggest military in the world. If they opt out of NATO or are no longer a trustworthy partner the other NATO members need to fill that gap.
The treat of nuclear deterence doesn't work so well if the treat other NATO members pose is uncertain.
If putin throws a nuclear bomb at one of the baltic states I have absolutely no faith in the new american gouvernment to protect or deter anyone.
Deterence only works it the enemie believes in it and with america out of the picture europe needs to make sure their own nuclear deterence is working.
Our german military is acording to our own defense ministry incapable of sending more than one company of troops in the short term in the case of an escalation with russia.
Even if the other EU countries are better organized it is in no way or form equivalent to the US alone.
As a german, it really doesn't feel like we could beat something like Switzerland, who said we are good in military? That is Polands thing now
Regarding China’s percentage of GDP: there are relevant voices that say this is an understatement
The German army will hold the line till the real army comes … 😅
wait what happen if germans get pissed.
7:00 Jeah, that guy was fired from his Job (Financeminister) and our gov colapsed.
Any statement from Mr Lindner is as trustworthy as Mr Trumps statements.
More like a musk statement.
@@Keksemann666 it will be bullshit by all three of those lunatics.
Russia does not have a lot of everything, else they would not need military help for artillery shells, vehicles (China), rockets and even personal. Especially, human lives are very difficult to "restock". You also have to take into account the size of the country. Russia is very big, but if you want to seriously protect the borders all around you even need much more men and equipment.
No reason to be afraid. We in Germany have destroyed any will in society to be innovative or work like hell, let alone to defend the country or stand up for anything. Even if we wanted, we'd not he able to build up a military that would impress anybody. Or pay for that - just look at energy prices or the famous on-off-on-off energy strategy. It will take decades to recover, should politics and society be willing to change, and I don't see that. Germany would rather need a lot help in the next decades to not return to the stone age.
The language would be the least problem that a EU-Army has. As most of the EU countries are in the NATO to begin with. And what are they speaking there? Right English! 😆
It's politics that would make it difficult. Questions like who is in charge and which country spends how much. The logistics. It all boils down to who has the the power over it and who pays the bill.
But that are a HUGE questions and not easy to answer!
We have no enemies at our border? What about France? 😀
I think without proper management we can spend as much as we want without getting results
You live in the wrong century.
were you drunk when you wrote this?
As a German I can’t tell you guys just how weak we really are..
AFAIK that same resolution that blocked Germany from owning nukes also prohibited owning destroyers. So Germany mainly own frigates.
German destroyer "Mölders" (Lütjens class) was decommissioned in the early 2000s and can be visited in the Navy Museum Wilhelmshaven. Lütjens class destroyers served during the cold war together with Hamburg class destroyers in the German navy. Beautiful ships (from the outside)
German army logistics, legendary indeed - just look at Barbarossa: they advanced so fast, their supplies thought they were invading next week!
Ryan, you're great... But this video is several years old, completely out of date, and confusing in today's context. This means your American viewers have no added value in terms of information.
There are American viewsers of this channel? I though they were all German ;)
Oh - and BTW: Failing supply of underwear and socks, needed to fight off the cold, contributed enormously to the defeat of the Nazis on the Eastern Front in the harsh Russian winter. I once visited a curated exhibition in the wake of the release of Operation Valkyrie at the Bundesmilitärarchiv in Freiburg, Southern Germany (Federal Military Archive); there were field reports on display stating the desperate situation on the frontlines - quite viscerally, to say the least. Men were just freezing stiff... So yes: Even the supply of underwear and clothing can get a huge issue, under the right circumstances...
No, they will not.
Okay, I oppose that statement ^^
Why? Why not?!
@@R.W.KING_KONGbecause our politicians here are a joke. The last politicians I could take serious was from the Kohl era.
Now I'm ashamed and embarrassed every time I see a photo of them.
@@nichderjenichetrue
@@nichderjeniche 100 Billion Euros „Sondervermögen“ for the Bundeswehr. The ongoing debatte about a obligatory military service(again) shows different.
Also is it a set goal for the German command to raise the number of actuall military personel for an 20k extra within the next 6 years.
@@R.W.KING_KONG Als würden die weichgespülten Deutschen an die Waffe...Oder hat man dafür vielleicht die ganzen Ausländer ins Land geholt?
I can calm you down. As a German, I looked at this and had to laugh.
The German military is at its end. Planes don't work and have to stay on the ground, weapons are broken so that soldiers have to shout *bang bang* during exercises and some marines can't swim at all.
Those Russian numbers are way off, as they have lost so many soldiers and war equipment in the Ukraine war, and it has made their economy rubbish for the average Russian!
"This is CNN!"... lol
"Oh Germany doesn't spend much money in military" VS "Oh Germany spends so much money in military"
Greetings from Germany
What are you talking about ? 🤣
The helicopters that dont fly or the tanks who dont drive ? 🤣
We only have amunition for 2 days 🤣
We have the most weak mil. on this planet 🤣
Yeah, but aren't the helicopters that do not fly mostly just missing specific testings and MOTs, while tanks with a damaged front light are considered "damaged"? A lot of these storys are surely quite exaggerated. What we considere "ready" in peaceful times is something completely different to what would be "ready" if really needed at the frontline.
The Bundeswehr overstates these things on purpose to get more money, working condition to them is "there isn't a single control LED broken" the actually biggest issue is troop size.
@@Keksemann666 Nah, the biggest problem is equipment. You dont need more soldiers if you cant equip them. Amunition is one big problem, but even simple gear is not in stock to support a bigger military size.
The problem is that this is just a calculation and you get the 2% through the 100 billion euros in “special assets” (extra debts). When the money is used up, Germany will go back to its old state.
The BAAINBw (the Bundeswehr procurement office) is a real bureaucratic monster through which all procurements are organized. Experts assume that it will take years for the money to reach the troops in the form of equipment and weapon systems. As it is, hardly anything gets through to the troops.
One reason that is occasionally mentioned are the ancient contracts that the state concluded with defense companies after WW2. Which are designed for the benefit of companies and, for example, lead to strange situations such as if you could buy a screw to repair a tank from the open market for €2, you are not allowed to buy it there but have to get it from the manufacturer, who has the identical one The screw was then sold to the Bundeswehr for ten times or more the usual market price. Due to such dynamics, no matter how much money you throw at the Bundeswehr, there is never enough money to ensure adequate operational readiness of the equipment and soldiers.
Well, we do have the capacity to become the most technological advanced military, on account of us having a handful of the most advanced weapons manufacturers of the world, but our military as such? Not without forced recruitment.
Doesn't really matter if you never have had a fight.
@@silverfox9267 You do understand that the German military has fighting experience, right? We were in Irak, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Jugoslavia and a load of other missions that entailed fighting. And as far as I hear from international soldiers, including US veterans, that worked with our troops, we seem to be considered rather competent in missions. And since we don't have an active forced recruitment anymore, we only have professionals that had years of training and experience left.
Good training can also substitute a lot, but the true equalizer is equipment. Doesn't matter how many tanks and people you have. The side with the higher range will have more control.
Just look at Ukraine - Russia. We have Ukraine, a military without much fighting experience, that is largely based upon civilians nowadays, and then Russia, which had a lot of fighting experience, they had what - 1 or 2 years within this century where their military wasn't in an active mission? Better equipment and training seems to be a very valid equalizer.
@@maskharat And how many Soldiers have we had deployed? How many of them are still active? Competent in missions is one thing. Especially against the kind of warfare we faced there. But against a real army pushing with tanks and drones and artillery....I don't know man.
First thing to correct in your understanding: YES, underwear and the supply shortage is a huge issue. We are talking about a military that needs to serve in various climates, especially harsh winter conditions on a regular base which is why underwear refers to combat suitable and thermal efficent clothing to support the soldiers in regions like the Alps or in the nordic circle/baltic states. It is a huge pain for the German soldiers that they need to buy so much clothing and accessories on their own budget but underwear made the headlines as real necessity and meanwhile shortage. It is not about going balls naked in a fight, it is about securing the eastern front to prevent the Russian from crossing (another) border.
Funny reference and sells good in media to raise the necessary attention but: Trust me, setting up an outpost for days, weeks or months below freezing temperatures will make your forces cripple. Remember how the second WW made a turn when the German soldiers died on the eastern front in thousand just because of unsuitable clothing? I think we learnt from this "tactical" mistake to not underestimate it again ^^
T&o me our politicians are the ones responsible for waisting the money and when overprized consultation fees are acceptable and responsible politicians are not held accountable, we should not expect much. For my part, and I know that many other germans are also, am disgusted with our politicians and the political scandals which they incure (commissions, wasting resources and a lot of BS) to such an extent that I started doubting fully in the capabilities, honesty and even in the democratic free elections. Also have I lost all trust in our 'free media' and do not take anything that the german media writes/publishes as the truth and have acquired the habit of questioning everything and comparing it with other media sources, e.g. France24, BBC, CNN and so forth. The Bundeswehr has become a 'joke' thanks to oliticians and I would not be surprised if high ranking officers have obtained their ranks/position by lip service to the ruling parties and not due to their capabilities.
Most powerful army for at least 3 days. ... Cause thats the stock of ammo. Not a joke.
German economy is going down hill within the foreseeable future so we will focus on the other stuff we are good at...
Do you mean: having innovative ideas and losing them to other countries because we are so conservative and overbureaucratized?
Or: Just exporting weapons?
@@Faxe90 exporting weapons and war.
China's spending is actually higher when you take the value of a dollar into consideration. Aka, more bang for the dollar. The Chinese soldiers get paid close to slavery, so they need much less, at least conventionally to look much bigger in comparison to the military expenditure.
Nope.
Germany, is it a joke 😂😂😂 without any nuclear power or any own military production....your comments make all europe laugh 😂😂😂
Would be lovely but no. Not with the current government.
Never ask Olaf about money, he won't remember.
they really missed the oportunity for an amazing headlin: "German special forces going commando"
I'm born in 1980 in Germany. The 2% which is required by the US for Defence on a NATO-Level is a hard goal for Germany to archieve. We have bad times overhere...
I would not say that Germans military will become Europe's most powerful. I think this is going to Poland. Look at how much money they invest right now, arming up with South Korean tanks, artillery and more weapons. Poland is spending more than 4% of their GDP, planing to get this up to 5% next year and keeping it for that in long term. They plan to buy 1000 K2 MBT which they are allowed to partly build in Poland itself. Also buying large numbers of K9 SPGs and Rocket artillery. Also they're still buying HIMARS, M1 Abrams and F-35 from USA.
They will be the strongest military on NATO soil after the USA by 2030 maybe even earlier
In 50 Years may be.
To put it mildly… when shit hits the fan….. we‘ll be fucked.
Don't worry the German economy took a hard hit by the stupid politics, many companies are leaving abroad, so the GDP also plummeted, which means that 2% in the future could be even lower than 1,4% now.
don't forget 1 important difference between usa and germany: we have healthinsurance for ALL. if you run out of work, our state pays for the important things you need. if a mom is alone with a li'l chikd, we pay for the 2. here are investments in our country america never will have.
I'll believe it when i see it
You have to keep in mind that a whole lot of the budget goes to pensions for retired soldiers. The 100 billion is already used up, and not much has changed.
We will find a way to spend at least 80 % for bureaucracy and to delay it, so that all the "new" military stuff will be outdatet since 10 years.
Non-operational minds= no personal to use it!!!😂❤
The US spending also refers to a lot of tech developments, that you guys classify as military spending. Due to being hesitant, regarding military spending, Germany would rather classify research as non-military.
@4:34 The funny thing is that Germany pays development aid to India.
You don’t know sht about international relations don’t you?
@@moneyneversleeps.europe mon(k)ey.
As a German I would say: if we team up with the UK it's the end of the world. The UK still has the best soldiers possible with the SAS and SBS while Germany can provide for the logistics and determination.