NATO Launches Largest Military Buildup Since Cold War
Brussels, 2025 - In response to the growing threat posed by the war in Ukraine and Russia, NATO has initiated its most extensive military buildup since the Cold War. The program aims to significantly enhance deterrence and defense capabilities in the coming years.
The decision was made during a meeting of defense ministers in Brussels. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte described the program as "historic."
The buildup includes new targets for military capabilities, specifying each ally's contribution to collective deterrence and defense. These capabilities are based on new defense plans, considering intelligence assessments that Russia could be ready for war against a NATO state within a few years.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced that the Bundeswehr would need up to 60,000 additional soldiers. US Defense Minister Pete Hegseth reiterated the US's demand for NATO members to increase defense spending to five percent of their respective GDPs.
Pistorius acknowledged that the additional personnel needs raise questions about the sufficiency of the voluntary military service planned for the coming years. He argued that conscription would not be immediately helpful due to a lack of capacity in barracks and training. Therefore, these capacities must grow, and voluntary service will continue until then.
Germany plans to form and fully equip new large units. Pistorius called it a "Herculean effort," for which Germany has already created the conditions with the exception rule for defense spending.
The new NATO plans are expected to spark a renewed discussion about mandatory military service. Henning Otte, the new Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces, stated that the increasing NATO requirements would be difficult to meet without partially mandatory military service and a more attractive Bundeswehr. He urged the Ministry of Defense to present a concrete proposal.
Germany committed in the 2+4 treaties to limit its number of soldiers to 370,000. The Scientific Service of the Bundestag wrote in February 2025 that the term "personnel strength" was not precisely defined, suggesting it only refers to the active, permanently available troop strength.