Germany Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel isn’t mincing his words. The pugnacious politician has called a Nato defence spending target being pushed by the US “completely unrealistic” for Germany.
German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday rejected US president Donald Trump's claim that Berlin owes NATO "vast sums of money" and must pay Washington more for defence.
Germany's defence minister called Friday for changes to the way NATO members' commitments to budget targets are assessed, in the face of bigger demands from US President Donald Trump.
Germany on Wednesday agreed that it needs to invest more in defence, but questioned whether Europe would accept Berlin raising its spending by tens of billions of euros to the NATO target of two percent of national output.
Germany has been upping its defence spending since 2008. But if it seriously wants to hit the NATO target of two percent of GDP, it still has a long way to go.
US President Donald Trump's demand for NATO allies to boost defence spending is driving an election-year dispute between Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives and their centre-left challengers led by Martin Schulz.
The election of Donald Trump to President of the US has awoken fears that the US will no longer be the guardian of European security. If Washington steps back, can Berlin fill the void?
The Polish foreign minister has said that Germany all too often follows its own interests at the expense of its partners, as Chancellor Angela Merkel prepares to visit Warsaw.
Lithuania on Monday signed its biggest ever arms deal for German-made armoured vehicles, as it seeks to allay concerns of a military resurgence of Russia on its doorstep.
"Economic giant, political dwarf" - that is how the world long viewed post-World War II Germany, the European export power reluctant to use military muscle in global conflicts.
A planned €10.2 billion increase in defence spending agreed by ministers on Wednesday won't be enough to modernize the German army, soldiers have warned.
A report released on Monday by Transparency International UK found that German arms companies had a spotty record in their ethics and anti-corruption programmes.
Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen announced on Wednesday that the controversial G36 rifle 'has no future in the German Army,' signalling the end of a two decade relationship between the army and the dodgy weapon.
Germany's long slide away from the Nato spending target of 2 percent of GDP continued in 2014 despite renewed fears of a military threat to Europe from Russia, according to a new report.
EU Justice Commissioner Věra Jourová told French newspaper Le Figaro on Monday that Europeans who have gone to join jihadist Isis fighters in Syria may number more than 6,000.
Update: Weapons manufacturer Heckler & Koch denied on Monday evening that the G36 rifles it supplied to the Bundeswehr (German army) lose their accuracy when they are too hot.
German investigators searched offices of European aerospace giant Airbus in a probe into suspected corruption over contracts with Saudi Arabia and Romania, the Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) reported on Wednesday.
Civil servants at Germany's defence ministry signed off a €55 million payoff as part of the Eurofighter project without asking parliament for permission, or checking with their boss, it emerged on Wednesday.
Global leaders from politics, defence and diplomacy meet in Germany from Friday to discuss conflict hotspots and looming threats, from Syria and Afghanistan to East Asia and Africa.
Germany's first female defence minister visited troops in Afghanistan on Sunday and appealed for President Hamid Karzai to sign a troubled deal to allow some foreign forces to stay in the country after 2014.
Germany's defence minister on a visit to Afghanistan on Wednesday urged President Hamid Karzai to quickly sign a deal to pave the way for a continued NATO presence after 2014.
