How Will German Rearmament Shape European Security?
From Global Security Briefing by The Royal United Services Institute
January 14, 2026 · 53 min · Season 1 · Episode 114
About this episode
Dr Claudia Major discusses Germany's rearmament and its implications for European security.
Dr Claudia Major joins Neil Melvin to discuss Germany's rearmament drive and its implications for European and transatlantic security. Germany is undertaking the most significant overhaul of its defence and security policy in decades, moving from long-standing restraint to large-scale rearmament and military reform. In this episode of Global Security Briefing, Neil Melvin speaks with Dr Claudia Major, Senior Vice President, Transatlantic Security at the German Marshall Fund, about what Germany's changing approach means for Europe's future security. This episode explores: - Germany's rearmament strategy, spending priorities and capability timelines. - The domestic political, public and institutional challenges to sustained defence investment. - The role of conscription, recruitment and societal defence in Germany's plans. - How the German defence industry is adapting to unprecedented demand. - What Germany's emergence as Europe's largest defence actor means for European security. - How Berlin's rearmament affects relations with European partners, the European Union and the United States. - Whether Germany's strategic culture is undergoing lasting change.
People in this episode
Host: Neil Melvin
Guest: Dr Claudia Major
Topics covered
- German rearmament
- European security
- transatlantic relations
- defense policy
- military reform
- defense industry
Keywords
- rearmament
- defense policy
- military reform
- European security
- transatlantic security
- defense investment
- conscription
- defense industry
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: German Marshall Fund
Places: Germany, European Union, Europe, United States
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