Germany plans to build the strongest conventional force in Europe, Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced in May.
The Bundeswehr must address staff shortages and modernize quickly with advanced equipment.
Officials prepared a procurement plan worth up to 83 billion euros, focusing mainly on European suppliers.
Germany scheduled 154 major defence purchases between September 2025 and December 2026, with limited orders from the United States.
Sipri reported that Europe’s reliance on U.S. arms has soared in recent years, especially during the Ukraine conflict.
Between 2020 and 2024, Europe tripled U.S. imports compared to the previous five years.
Germany’s arms imports rose by 334 percent, with 70 percent of purchases from the U.S.
Experts Warn of American Dependence
Josef Braml argued that Trump revealed America’s unreliability, prompting Germany to reduce U.S. reliance.
He said Germany effectively paid “tribute” by purchasing U.S. weapons that deepened dependency.
Germany still operates six American Patriot defence systems, considered highly advanced but currently restricted for export.
European solutions for some systems remain absent, forcing Berlin to order U.S. F-35 fighter jets.
Christophe Gomart raised concerns about a possible “kill switch” in F-35 jets, though officials dismissed the claim.
A German defence office spokeswoman explained Europe lacks a fifth-generation fighter alternative to meet stealth requirements.
Pieter Wezeman noted Europe has begun building stronger domestic industries but still faces entrenched U.S. ties.
Europe Faces a New Security Era
The Marshall Plan and NATO anchored German-American defence cooperation after World War II.
Trump’s “America First” agenda emphasized U.S. interests and pressed NATO allies to buy American weapons.
His latest budget allocated 150 billion U.S. dollars for defence under the “Peace through Strength” plan.
Braml stressed that real sovereignty requires independent protection, warning that dependency creates vulnerability to pressure.
During his White House visit, Merz admitted Germany will remain tied to U.S. security support for now.
Braml declared, “Security is gone, Pax Americana is dead,” calling on Europe to emerge as an independent power.
Patent statistics underline U.S. dominance: between 2015 and 2021, American firms filed nearly 18,000 defence patents.
EU nations combined registered under 12,000, with Germany ranking behind France in patent numbers.
Braml concluded that Germany must assume responsibility for its own security without delay.
