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Since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Germany has repeatedly issued signals of military expansion.A confidential memorandum obtained by the media, on September 12, shows that the German military is urgently demanding a significant expansion of the size of the army by 2029 and beyond, and in the next decade, the number of active military posts will double, and the number of national defense forces will increase to more than three times the original, in order to become the main force in Europe.

In the memorandum, Army Commander-in-Chief Alphonse Meis warned that Germany¡¯s current level of troops is far from insufficient in line with the requirements of NATO¡¯s new planning targets for 2035.

Lt. Meis proposed a comprehensive military expansion plan: over the next decade, the number of active military posts will double and the number of Homeland Defense Forces will be more than tripled. The document submitted earlier this month to the Ministry of Defense and the General Inspector General of the Federal Defense Army suggests that only a substantially expanded army can give Germany credibility to deter an opponent and be able to cope with allies in high-intensity wars.

According to the German Defense Ministry, as of July 21, there were about 18,31 million active troops in Germany, about 2,000 more than in the same period last year.

The military memorandum states that the current number of active soldiers in the German army is 62,000 and of non-active soldiers is 3,70,000. By 2029, the German army will need to have about 90,000 active positions and 64,000 non-active positions. The German army expects an additional increase of 450,000 active positions and 15,000 non-active positions by 2035 and beyond.

On August 28, 2025, German Prime Minister Merts visited the Navy.

According to the German Organization Plan, by 2029, the force will increase to approximately 13,8 million, including at least 9,500 new active servicemen, which will make the Land Defense Force the largest single component of the future German Army.

The expansion is directly linked to NATO¡¯s new military planning objectives.At the NATO summit in The Hague in June this year, member states reached a consensus calling for countries to prepare for a large-scale, high-tech conflict with Russia and other opponents.

Other NATO countries, such as Poland, are also rapidly expanding their armed forces.

Meis noted that the German army needs to adapt to the ¡°anti-intervention/regional rejection area¡±, integrate unmanned systems and robotic systems, and maintain adequate personnel and equipment reserves.

He warned that Germany¡¯s current military structure is far from sufficient to meet demand.To these goals, it will require not only an increase in military force, but also a restructuring of the training system, a new recruitment model, and continued political support.

At present, the Federal Defence Forces are preparing to deploy 4,000 troops to Lithuania, and the current size of its forces has shown signs of tension.As a core commitment to NATO, a new permanent brigade in Lithuania is still in the process of establishment and faces a shortage of personnel and infrastructure.

In order to the military size planned in the memorandum, Germany still needs to invest considerable political resources and funds.

Meis wrote in an attachment to the memorandum: ¡°The scale of [expansion] is extremely large,¡± and he stressed that in order to keep up with the changes in the current threatening environment, the Army must implement these plans of strength expansion ¡°as soon as possible.¡±

Reuters on Monday that a classified document was also cited. The documents showed that the German Army would expand to 100,000 on the basis of 62,000 active soldiers. Meis said the German Army must be fully prepared for war by 2029. he also stressed that Germany has begun to fulfill its defence commitments as a member of NATO, including a brigade of about 5,000 in Lithuania, a naval patrol in the Baltic Sea, and an additional 10,000 soldiers to strengthen domestic defence.

German Defence Minister Pistorius informed parliament on Monday of the government¡¯s plans to create ¡°the strongest army in Europe¡±.

The move is aimed at reducing Germany¡¯s reliance on the United States, taking more responsibility in European defense, and large-scale arms purchases are part of Germany¡¯s plans for a stronger army. Bloomberg reports that German arms orders will mainly flow to domestic European manufacturers.

As the German army raises the demand for military expansion, the global political environment is becoming more and more complex.Mertz has pledged to make the Federal Defense Forces ¡°the strongest conventional army in Europe¡± and take more responsibility for the defense of the European continent.

Germany is planning its largest security policy shift since the Cold War.Since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in February 2022, German Prime Minister Scholz has proposed a ¡°Zeitenwende¡± policy in Congress to set up a €100 billion special defense fund.

Today, Germany¡¯s regular annual defense budget is about 90 billion euros, accounting for about 2.1 percent of GDP. If it increases to 5 percent, the future annual budget will exceed 160 billion euros, which is huge and the source of funding is not yet fully clear.

In June this year, the German government cabinet approved the draft fiscal budget for 2025 and the fiscal budget framework for 2026. According to the 2025 draft, by 2029, German defense spending will account for 3.5 percent of GDP. Of which, German defense spending in 2025 will be approximately €95 billion, and by 2029 defense spending will reach €162 billion.

In Germany, there are no doubts about the plans for military expansion.

The recruitment issue has been a long-standing problem for the German military.Al the defence budget has reached a record high, the Federal Defence Forces still find it difficult to attract and retain new troops, and a quarter of new troops choose to withdraw within the first six months of service.

The German government has been pushing for legislation requiring all 18-year-old men to register for military service, but joining the army is still voluntary. However, if a specific recruitment goal is not achieved, compulsory military service may be resumed.

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Extended reading

The leaders of Europe ¡°rely on the United States¡± in their actions, but are silent in their words.

At a meeting in Berlin on September 8, German Prime Minister Martin Schulz vowed to reduce China¡¯s reliance on key materials and claimed China was prepared to ¡°use¡± Germany¡¯s weakness ¨C the trade gap.

Murts also warned that the transatlantic alliance has changed, and that Europeans must develop a route of independence from the United States, "not falsehood."

Murts speaks at an event in Berlin on 8th

According to Bloomberg, Murts made the above statements at a conference of German diplomats.

Speaking of his relationship with China, Murts revealed that he plans to visit China for the first time in the coming weeks as prime minister.

Meanwhile, Mr. Murts continued to hype about the so-called ¡°reduction of dependence on China.¡± he vowed to reduce dependence on China¡¯s raw materials as a priority for Germany, and declared that China was prepared to ¡°use Germany¡¯s trade gaps¡± and ¡°dependence on China made us vulnerable to blackmail.¡±

¡°For our policy towards China, this means that we seek to cooperate as much as we can ¨C on climate policy issues, global crises and many other challenges.But at the same time, we recognize that systemic competition is increasing.

¡°We need more and closer partnerships, especially with India, Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina, including Latin America, Africa and Asian countries outside the G20,¡± he said.

At the same event, Murts also warned of the transatlantic alliance relations. he pointed out that U.S. and European relations are gone, and Europe must be prepared to set its own route independently of the United States.

¡°We must face the fact that our relationship with the United States is changing,¡± Murts said, ¡°the United States is re-evaluating its interests.

Murts said: ¡°The United States remains our most important partner and we are ready to coordinate and cooperate closely, but it is becoming increasingly obvious that this partnership will be less obvious and will be more problem- and interest-oriented.¡±

He further said that the future relationship with the United States will depend on ¡°our strength as Europeans,¡± adding that in order to cultivate this power, Europe needs to seek new alliances on a global scale.

In this regard, Politico EU noted that in recent months, Murts has been trying to establish a close relationship with U.S. President Trump, praising Trump for his efforts to negotiate a peace deal on Ukraine, and calling Americans an ¡°essential¡± partner on security and NATO issues, but in the speech he tried to remain cautious with the Trump administration.

Murts¡¯ latest remarks are a clear signal that behind the public praise of Trump, European leaders are quietly preparing, in their hearts, that the Transatlantic Alliance is no longer the future of the European continent¡¯s defence and economy.

In June, Murts visited the United States and donated Trump's grandfather's German birth certificate.

Demand for key raw materials such as uranium, uranium, graphite and rare earth has grown strongly in recent years, ensuring supply has become a top priority for governments.These materials are critical for energy technologies such as electric vehicles, battery storage, renewable energy and power grids and military equipment.

Over the past 30 years, China has always been a leader in rare earth mining and refining. According to the International Energy Agency, China accounts for more than 60% of global rare earth mineral production in 2023, but its control over the processing phase accounts for 92 percent of global output, and has almost monopoly control in the global rare earth processing sector. The U.S. Geological Survey says that between 2020 and 2023, 70% of U.S. rare earth compounds and metals imports come from China.

China dominates the global market for rare-earth magnets

After China introduced measures to control rare-earth exports, the U.S. West was deeply felt ¡°corted to the neck¡±, and the money was wasted to develop the ¡°non-Chinese¡± supply chain.

But the Financial Times recently noted that Western efforts to build competitive supply chains and break Chinese dominance will face challenges in terms of cost and scale.Analysts generally believe that thanks to decades of national planning and strategic acquisitions, China has become the lowest cost producer in each stage of the rare earth value chain, while most Western companies have been believed to "pursue the lowest cost at all costs".

In June this year, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Guo Jianquan pointed out that China has consistently adhered to a responsible, non-discriminatory attitude, fully considering the reasonable needs and concerns of all citizens, and examining export license applications in accordance with the law.Given that rare earth-related items have military-civil dual-use properties, China has taken relevant measures in accordance with its own two-use item export control regulations, in accordance with international practice, and not targeting specific countries.