Bundeswehr

The Bundeswehr is Germany's unified armed forces, established in 1955 following West Germany's accession to NATO. It comprises the army (Heer), navy (Deutsche Marine), air force (Luftwaffe), cyber and information domain service, joint support service, and central medical service. After decades of post-Cold War contraction, the Bundeswehr is now undergoing its largest expansion since reunification.

On 22 April 2026, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius presented Germany's first-ever standalone military strategy, alongside a capability profile, personnel growth plan, and reserve strategy. The strategy names Russia as the "biggest and most immediate threat" and sets 2029 as the Bundeswehr's readiness deadline for large-scale conflict. Active strength is planned to grow from 185,420 to 260,000 by the mid-2030s; reserve strength from 60,000 to 200,000. Conscription remains a statutory fallback if voluntary recruitment falls short. The strategy follows January 2026 legislation that removed the constitutional debt brake on defence spending.

The 22 April publication marks a doctrinal threshold: Germany has now named a specific adversary, set a specific readiness deadline, and published a growth plan with numerical targets. This contrasts with the UK, which hosted a 30-nation Hormuz planning conference on the same day without naming Russia in its MoD statement. By 2039, Germany's stated ambition is to be Europe's strongest military. The Bundeswehr's current capacity constraints remain significant; bridging the gap between 185,420 active personnel and 260,000 depends on recruitment trajectories that have proved difficult in previous cycles.