Among the most critical repercussions of the Russian invasion of Ukraine a year ago is the rise of militarisation and armaments worldwide, increased military spending budgets, and restructuring of armies, perhaps more than ever in modern history since WWII.
This is evident from the European countries' inclination to strengthen their military power. Since the latest world war, European nations have lived for decades in a pink reverie of "world peace" after suffering from the wars' horrors and tragedies.
They focused on strengthening their economy and the welfare of their societies. They wanted to be more involved in globalisation and focus on issues such as climate change, the environment, and space.
However, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, these countries woke up to another world. They discovered they were militarily exposed and that Russia’s offensive threatened their values, safety, lifestyle, and the idea of international cooperation.
When German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron met separately with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow several days before the February 2022 invasion they got a taste of what was to come.
Instead of showing them the respect they deserve given their international diplomatic status, Putin hinted, sometimes bluntly, that compared to Germany and France, Russia was a large country with superior military might and a robust nuclear arsenal.
What he did not mention, however, was that Russia was economically far weaker than the two nations. Russia's GDP is $1.6 trillion, compared to Germany's $4.2 trillion and France's $3 trillion. The two Western nations are also superior in the fields of science and technology.
Germany’s about-face
After Russia invaded Ukraine, Germany, overnight, allocated a whopping €100 billion to rearm its military — breaking with its previous path which was far less focused on its military arsenal. This was quickly followed by raising its annual military spending to 2 per cent of its GDP — $85 billion.
Germany had previously rejected American calls, especially from former President Donald Trump, to boost its military spending and be less dependent on the United States for its defence.
But perhaps, more important was Germany’s decision to stop importing Russian oil and gas — of which it was hugely dependent on.
In addition, Germany’s parliament overwhelmingly voted to provide the Ukrainian army with qualitative weapons, including missiles and armoured vehicles (only around 100 out of 736 MPs opposed the decision). Berlin has even gone beyond that, providing Ukraine with advanced weapons such as Leopard tanks and also allowing other Nato countries to provide Ukraine with the tanks.
Germany is now laser-focused on parallel tracks.
The first is restructuring the German army, modernising its weapons, and securing major deals with American and German arms companies, especially securing F-35 fighter jets.
The German weapons industry is now working full steam to meet internal and external Nato demands.
