Germany has signed 111 billion euros in defense contracts since 2022
Per the Defense Ministry, the federal government has closed about 47,000 procurement contracts since Berlin shifted its defense policy in 2022.
BERLIN — The German federal government has signed roughly 47,000 procurement contracts for defense equipment worth around 111 billion euros since 2022. According to Telegrafi, citing the Defense Ministry, this is one of the largest military-spending surges in Germany’s post-war history.
The surge followed Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s February 2022 announcement of a 100-billion-euro special fund, made days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The country’s regular defense budget now stands at 82.7 billion euros for 2026, supplemented by 25.5 billion from the special fund.
The ministry, however, has not disclosed how many of those projects have actually been completed, arguing that such an assessment would be “unreasonable” and would delay critical defense initiatives. The approach has prompted concerns about transparency in political and media circles.
Criticism and transparency
Left-party (Die Linke) lawmaker Dietmar Bartsch has criticized the scale of spending and the lack of delivery data. He warns that billions of German taxpayers’ euros risk being locked up in delayed or ineffective programs.
The German defense industry, including Rheinmetall and ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, has been the main beneficiary of the contracts. Major elements include ammunition supplies, air defense, F-35 aircraft purchases and naval-fleet modernization.
Taxpayer billions are being locked into contracts with no guarantee of timely delivery, Bartsch warned in a statement to the Bundestag, as cited by Telegrafi, calling for external audits and a public annual report.
Berlin argues the spending increase is an unavoidable response to the Russian threat and to NATO calls for a larger European contribution. Allies have welcomed the German shift, which some officials have called the definitive end of the post-Cold War “peace dividend.”
The government is expected in coming months to release a new defense strategy laying out priorities for the next decade, including cyber defense, space and intelligence capabilities.
Source: Telegrafi