Germany is stepping up to become a more powerful military force inside NATO, with Berlin’s ambassador to Washington telling Fox News Digital that the country is ready to assume greater responsibility for European security after decades in which the United States carried much of the alliance’s military burden.

Germany’s New Military Strategy

Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said Germany’s armed forces should become the strongest conventional army in Europe, a goal that is now backed by Berlin’s new military strategy. Germany’s decision to become Europe’s strongest conventional army is an ongoing commitment, with the country already moving to meet the standard of investing 5% of GDP annually in defense and defense-related spending by 2035.

The shift marks a historic turn for a country whose postwar military identity was built around restraint. After World War II, West Germany was allowed to rearm only within a Western alliance framework, joining NATO in 1955 and building the Bundeswehr as a force embedded in collective defense rather than independent German power.

US-Germany Defense Relationship

The effort is unfolding against a backdrop of public friction between President Donald Trump and Merz, a dispute that a U.S. defense expert warned could complicate critical decisions on deterring Russia. Despite briefings about possible decreases in U.S. involvement, the U.S.–Germany defense relationship remains strong and cooperation remains close.

Germany has long been central to the U.S. military presence in Europe, with facilities such as Ramstein Air Base, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, and the training area in Grafenwöhr serving U.S. national security interests and NATO deterrence. Germany is also committed to its permanent brigade in Lithuania, expected to include around 5,000 German military and civilian personnel, which is intended to become fully operational for the defense of NATO’s eastern flank in the Baltic region within three years.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.