NATO reportedly wants 40,000 more German troops for defense against Russia
NATO wants Germany to contribute seven more brigades, or roughly 40,000 troops, to boost collective defense against Russia, Bloomberg and Reuters reported on May 28, citing their sources.
The news comes amid mounting tensions between the alliance and Russia and an increasingly uncertain U.S. commitment to European security.
The alliance's overall demand for the number of brigades provided by member states could go from 80 to between 120 and 130, an undisclosed senior official told Reuters.
Germany agreed to provide 10 brigades to NATO by 2030. It currently fields nine brigades — each comprising around 5,000 soldiers — including one new formation stationed in Lithuania.
Though no firm date for implementing the changes has been set, 2030 has been mentioned as a preferred deadline, Bloomberg reported.
Allied defense ministers are expected to discuss the matter during a meeting in Brussels next week.
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 prompted European countries to hike defense spending in order to revive their military capabilities, which atrophied after decades of disarmament following the Cold War.
The matter gained more urgency after signals that the U.S., the most powerful military in NATO, plans to scale down its presence in Europe as President Donald Trump shifts strategic focus to the Asia-Pacific region.
Ukrainian foreign intelligence (SZRU) chief Oleh Ivashchenko recently warned that Russia will be able to replenish its forces between two and four years after the war in Ukraine, allowing it to launch aggression against Europe.
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