After decades of telling Germans they need to do more to defend NATO, Germany decided to do more to defend NATO. Strategy hilarity from those complaining about German pacifism ensues.
We should fear German rearmament because Germans might get a whiff of gunpowder and diesel fuel--and like it?
In the 2020s and 2030s, restoring full military power – at levels of spending greater than of any other European nation – to a united Germany would turn the clock back not to the mid-Cold War, but to the days of Bismarck.
FFS. It was only safe to have Germans armed when it was divided between NATO and the Soviet Union?
I was all on board criticizing Germany for shirking its NATO duties since the Cold War. As I said in frustration about German reticence to arm up:
I keep reading that the Germans hate their militaristic past so much that they don't want to fight.
Let's try applying the clue bat to Germany's collective skull on this issue.
Conquering and setting up death camps under the shield of a powerful military? That's bad. By all means, don't do that.
Having a military capable of fighting death cult enemies or stopping the Russians from moving west? Well, that's a good thing. Try doing that.
Germany has at least decided it has a role in keeping the Russians out. Good. And after all this time as a functioning democracy, I'll not listen for Nazi--or Bismarckian--"dog whistles" coming from Berlin.
Let's get Germany closer to its Cold War-era military, which was apparently safe. Although the author says that this time it would be different--and dangerous.
Nobody is talking about Wehrmacht-scale militarization.
And keep America in NATO if you're still nervous about failing to keep Germany down.
And really, it's going to be a long time before we have to worry:
Germany’s defense minister on Thursday announced a plan to streamline and reorganize the country’s military command as part of efforts to make the armed forces of NATO’s most populous European member “war-capable.”
Up until now the military command has been "civil service-capable." Further:
And although progress is being made with orders for new equipment, the parliamentary commissioner for the military said last month that the Bundeswehr “still has too little of everything.”
And let's not even bother going into (via Instapundit) Germany's economic suicide based on policies that see climate change as a bigger threat than Russia.
Getting skittish before Germany has more than started re-arming is a bit silly. Nobody is talking about Wehrmacht-scale militarization.
And keep America in a robust NATO if you're still nervous about the Germans.
NOTE: The image was made from DALL-E.
NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here.
NOTE: I'm adding updates on the Last Hamas War in this post.
