70 of Them Do Not Believe That the Army Is Strong Enough to Defend the Country Against a Possible Attack

According to a survey conducted in Germany, 70 percent of the public do not believe that the army is strong enough to defend the country against a possible attack. Berlin plans to increase the number of soldiers while increasing its defense expenditures after the Ukraine War. Most of the people in Germany are of the opinion that the country's army is not strong enough against a possible attack.

According to the survey conducted by YouGov with the participation of 2 thousand 79 adults in Germany between June 17 and July 1, 70 percent of the participants do not trust that the German army can protect the country from a possible attack. While the rate of those who stated that they trust the army remained at 21 percent, 8 percent did not express an opinion. Among the countries covered by the survey, Germany was the country with the lowest trust in the army.

40 percent of Germans surveyed said they found the country's defense budget inadequate. However, 77 percent of respondents opposed raising taxes to cover increased defense spending. 62 percent of the participants stated that they did not want cuts in public services to increase the defense budget, and 59 percent did not want the government to borrow more.

After Russia attacked Ukraine in 2022, Germany accelerated its efforts to strengthen its defense capacity. The Berlin administration plans to increase defense expenditures, which were 86 billion euros last year, to 153 billion euros in 2029. Germany also aims to increase the number of active-duty soldiers from 184 thousand to 260 thousand and the number of reserve forces to 200 thousand by 2035. However, it is stated that achieving the targets may be difficult. In Germany, which suspended compulsory military service in 2011, reintroduction of the practice is also being discussed.

On the other hand, reactions against compulsory military service continue, especially among young people. Some young people in the country state that they do not want to serve in the military again, drawing attention to problems such as high cost of living and unemployment.