Forward march: a look at Germany's new army

前进步伐:探析德国新军

Editor's Picks from The Economist

2025-06-10

11 分钟
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A handpicked article read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. After decades of sheltering under America's security umbrella, Germany is rearming—it now has the fourth largest defense budget in the world. Its efforts have been welcomed by NATO allies and citizens alike. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.
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  • Welcome to Editor's Picks. I'm Charlotte Howard.

  • I'm the co-host of our American podcast, Checks and Balance.

  • You are about to hear an article we have chosen from the most recent edition of The Economist.

  • Thanks for tuning in.

  • This time they were invited.

  • On May 22nd, locals cheered as German tanks rolled through the streets of Vilnius,

  • the Lithuanian capital once occupied by the Nazis.

  • City buses flashed tributes to the fraternal bonds linking the NATO allies.

  • Even so, when the Bundeswehr's brass band struck up a rendition of Prussia's glory,

  • some of the German dignitaries assembled for the inauguration of their army's 45th Panzer Brigade felt a twinge of unease.

  • It wasn't until they saw the beaming faces of their Lithuanian counterparts that they were able to enjoy the show.

  • The armoured brigade, which will number 5,000 by 2027,

  • is Germany's first permanent deployment abroad since the Second World War.

  • It is also the starkest sign of the extraordinary turn taken by a country that took full receipt of the peace dividend after 1990,

  • sheltering under American protection,

  • as its own army withered and its commercial ties with Russia strengthened.

  • The Lithuania decision was taken in 2023 as part of the Seitenwende, or turning point,

  • in a security policy instigated by Olaf Scholz,

  • the then-chancellor, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

  • The €100bn spending spree he unleashed has already given Germany the world's fourth-biggest defence budget,