Germany plans to establish a National Security Council this month to deal with internal and external threats.
The German Ministry of Defense earlier reported the sharpest growth in military recruitment in recent years, stating that the goal is to counter what Berlin describes as the “threat” from Russia.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has also called for developing the Bundeswehr into “the strongest conventional army in Europe” and increasing military spending to 3.5 percent of GDP by 2029.
Berlin has also considered reintroducing conscription to address what it calls the changing security situation in Europe.
The new security council is expected to coordinate the work of various departments and focus on analyzing information on domestic, external, economic, and digital security. It will meet in crisis situations, identify medium- and long-term threats, and develop strategies to respond to them.
This body will be chaired by Merz and will include relevant ministers, members of German security agencies, scientific experts, and representatives of other countries, the European Union (EU), and NATO.
The official decision is to be announced during the first government meeting after the parliamentary recess on August 27th at the Ministry of Defense.
