German Parliament to Vote on Purchase of F-35 Fighter Jets
A Lockheed Martin manufactured F-35 Fighter Jet. Source: Axel Schmidt/Reuters
On Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022, the German Parliament announced its intent to vote on the proposed plan to set aside €10 billion (or $10.5 billion) to purchase the F-35 stealth fighter jets from American company Lockheed Martin. The purchase would also include missiles and other equipment, and the first eight jets would not be expected to be delivered until 2025. In addition, the F-35 jet has the capability to carry nuclear weapons, which would escalate any conflict in which Germany could be involved. The German military is currently using Tornado fighter jets, which Germany has been flying since the 1980s. The Parliament will make its final decision at the next budget committee hearing, which is scheduled for Dec. 14.
Approval of the purchase will have several wide-reaching effects, primarily on Russia’s war in Ukraine. The German government brought the issue of their lack of defense up in February when the war first began. Germany is situated geographically closer to Ukraine than many of its European allies, separated only by Poland. From the war’s inception, the possibility of the conflict spilling over to become European-wide has been of particular concern for Germany. Many in the government expressed worry that the German military is not sufficiently equipped for a direct clash with Russia.
The decision to bolster military capabilities is particularly monumental for Germany. The nation has not owned weapons of this kind since the Treaty of Versailles in World War I when their powers were severely reduced, because the rest of the world feared that they would be able to cause another war if they had too much military power. At the end of World War I, the German military had 1.9 million soldiers, the Treaty cut that down to just 100,000. Furthermore, at the end of World War II, the Potsdam Agreement made it so that all of Germany’s military was dismantled and the German military industry was eliminated so that no new weapons could be manufactured.
Germany’s modern military, the Bundeswehr, has largely kept close to that number, with around 264,000 active duty personnel. The Bundeswehr was founded initially in 1955, it was then reformed into the structure it has today after German Reunification in 1990. Though the army remains small in comparison to that of the United Kingdom and France, three days after the conflict in Ukraine began, the German government announced that it would be tripling its defense budget, with the potential purchase of F-35 fighter jets being the latest addition following this increase.
German Budeswehr Soldiers in Training Drills. Source: REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
The purchase would also mark the first time that Germany pulls money out of the Euro Special Fund. The fund was created in June of this year by the Bundestag to be used to strengthen Germany’s Federal Armed Forces. €100 billion was put into this fund, as a way for Germany to protect itself in the event that a European war were to break out. The Fund is meant to be spent on large scale equipment purchases, with the majority of the money being directed toward their air and sea defenses.
The French government has expressed disapproval of the news as it directly conflicts with their joint venture with Germany to develop their own fighter jet that was supposed to be built by the 2040s. The French government is worried that if Germany spends money on the F-35 fighter jets, then they will no longer have any interest in completing the project.
After more than 70 years without an army that was up to par with other developed countries, it remains to be seen whether the government will increase its arms power with the purchase of F-35 fighter jets, and how the rest of the world will respond regardless of what the German Parliament decides.