Germany sets 2029 deadline to fully arm military amid fears of Russian threat, Reuters reports

Germany’s Chief of Defense, Carsten Breuer, has issued a directive ordering the German military to be fully equipped with weapons and materials by 2029, citing concerns that Russia could be capable of attacking NATO territory by then.

The internal document seen by Reuters, titled “Directive Priorities for the Bolstering of Readiness” and signed on May 19, outlines a detailed roadmap to prepare Germany’s armed forces over the next five years.

The directive reflects shared assessments by Breuer and NATO officials that Russia may have rebuilt its military enough to pose a direct threat to the alliance’s borders. Funding for the plan will come from the loosening of Germany’s “debt brake” in March, which allows additional defense spending.

The document sets acquisition priorities that align with NATO’s recommendations. Chief among them is strengthening Germany’s air defenses, with particular emphasis on countering drones. NATO is expected to ask Berlin to at least quadruple its air defense systems, ranging from long-range platforms such as the Patriot to short-range interceptors.

In addition to bolstering aerial defenses, the directive calls for capabilities to conduct deep precision strikes against targets more than 500 kilometers away. Breuer also emphasized the urgency of replenishing Germany’s ammunition stockpiles and increasing stockpiling targets across all ammunition types.

Other key areas for development include enhancing electronic warfare systems and building a robust set of both offensive and defensive capabilities in space.