A German trains at the U.S. Army's Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany, in 2012. In a recent Focus magazine poll, Germans expressed little to no confidence in their army’s ability to defend the country. (Fredrick J. Willis/U.S. Army)
More than half of German respondents in a recent survey said they’d be unwilling to fight for their country if it came under attack, and a full three-quarters expressed little to no faith in the army to do the job.
The poll, conducted and released Tuesday by the German magazine Focus, revealed a country where a growing number of people want more investment in defense but are loath to take matters into their own hands.
Only 32% said they would be willing to take up arms to “actively participate in defensive combat operations” if the country was attacked, while 57% rejected that prospect. A further 11% were undecided, the poll found.
And 75% of respondents put their confidence in the German armed forces’ ability to defend the country in the range of little to none.
Visitors ask soldiers questions at German Armed Forces Day in Muenster, Germany, in 2023. A majority of Germans say they would be unwilling to fight for their country if it came under attack, according to a new poll. (Tom Twardy/German armed forces)
Visitors flock to see German military equipment, including the Gepard anti-aircraft gun tank, right, at German Armed Forces Day in Muenster, Germany, in 2023. According to a new poll, more than half of Germans would be unwilling to fight for their country if it came under attack, and 75% don't think the German army would be up to the task. (Tom Twardy/German armed forces)
Still, there is popular support for spending more to improve the situation.
Seven out of 10 Germans favored increased funding for the military, and 64% said Germany should permanently spend more than 2% of its gross domestic product on defense.
The state of the German military has been a long-standing point of contention with Washington. Numerous administrations have pressed Berlin to increase defense expenditures to meet NATO’s 2% spending target.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump in particular singled out Germany for falling short on its defense commitments and characterized Berlin as a security free-rider.
In recent years, Germany has gradually increased its spending and this year is expected to hit NATO’s 2% mark.
