"Our most important partner": Poland is probably displacing Germany as the key military ally in Europe
Created: 2022-11-28 05:23
By: Bedrettin Bölükbasi
Poland is apparently becoming a more important ally in Europe for the US.
(Archive image) © Norbert Fellechner via IMAGO
The Ukraine war is on and Poland is getting stronger militarily.
This is obviously having a negative impact on Germany's role.
Munich – Increased defense spending, the purchase of armed drones such as the Bayraktar TB2 from Turkey and Abrams tanks from the USA: Driven by Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin's Ukraine war, Poland is setting up an ever stronger and well-armed army.
This is likely to have consequences for Germany's role as the USA's most important ally in Europe.
Poland is strengthening its military – Warsaw is now more important to the USA than Berlin
Testimony by a US military official to the
Politico
newspaper shows that Poland has already ousted Germany as the US's key European ally.
"Poland has become our most important partner in continental Europe," stressed the military official.
He referred to the support of Ukraine and the strengthening of NATO defenses in the Baltic States by Poland.
On the other hand, the never-ending discussions of German domestic politics are apparently leading to skepticism in Washington about Berlin's role.
Germany is still important as a logistical hub, the US official said.
However, endless debates about the Bundeswehr and the "lack of strategic culture" have hampered Germany's effectiveness as a partner.
Visits to Ukraine during the war - Politics shows solidarity
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Poland spends more on the military - and becomes a key partner for the US
The traffic light coalition wants to strengthen the Bundeswehr with a package worth 100 billion euros and increase defense spending.
Most recently, CDU leader Friedrich Merz raged about "breach of word".
However, progress is slow and discussions just don't stop.
Meanwhile, Poland is already making fundamental changes.
Germany is arguing about compliance with the two percent target.
Meanwhile, Poland wants to increase spending on defense from 2.4 percent of gross domestic product to as much as 5 percent.
According to Politico
, Poland has significantly more heavy weapons such as howitzers and tanks than Germany.
In addition, according to current plans, the number of people in the Polish military is to be doubled by 2035 to around 300,000.
According to the US newspaper, it is easier for Warsaw to recruit new soldiers than for Berlin.
This is mainly due to the attitude of the Polish population.
"The Poles have a much more positive attitude towards their military than Germany, because they had to fight for their freedom," said Austrian military expert Gustav Gressel.
However, Gressel also emphasized that internal conflicts in Poland would mean that the country could not fully develop the existing power.
(bb)
