Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany announced plans for a massive boost in defense spending in the latest historic policy shift in Germany triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, sending shockwaves across Europe.
I have studied for many years now the historical events of World Wars 1&2 in relationship to end times Bible prophecy, and a great many truths have been uncovered in the process. Not the least of which is the stunning revelation that the entire time of Jacob's trouble timeline, up to and including the regathering of the nation of Israel, is contained in type within the time of Nazi rule in Germany. So it became clear to me that if Germany was the central figure in WWI, and undoubtedly the central figure in WWII, that the God who loves things in three's would likely work it out that Germany would be the central figure in WWIII. This stunning announcement by the German chancellor Scholz moves the needle in giant steps towards that eventuality.
"The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun." Ecclesiastes 1:9 (KJB)
After decades of doing the bare minimum with their military, perhaps to truly distance themselves from their Nazi past, modern-day Germany is now quadrupling their military spending, to the rousing applause of their EU allies. Be careful what you wish for, though, because you just might get it. And yes, I understand that this is for defense spending, but isn't every high school football player taught that "the best defense is a good offense"? So let me just get this out there ahead of the curve, and tell you to keep your eye on Germany as all this drama and intrigue continues to unfold between Russia and Ukraine. The third time's the charm.
THERE'S A LOT THE PAST HAS TO SHOW US ABOUT WHAT'S COMING IN THE NEAR FUTURE
Germany to Boost Military Spending in Latest Historic Shift
FROM MSN: Germany will channel 100 billion euros ($113 billion) this year into a fund to modernize the military, Scholz said Sunday in a speech to a special session of the lower house of parliament. By 2024, the government will spend at least 2% of gross domestic product each year on defense, he added, in line with a NATO target that Berlin has consistently failed to meet.
Scholz had been widely criticized by opponents and allies alike in recent weeks for what they perceived as dithering and weakness in the face of Russia’s mounting aggression toward Ukraine. In the past few days he has announced a series of radical changes to long-entrenched German policies following the full-scale attack ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin on the former Soviet republic.
Even before the invasion, Scholz halted the certification process for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline built to bring more of the Russian gas his country heavily relies on. On Saturday, he abandoned Germany’s traditional rejection of supplying weapons to conflict zones and gave way on expelling Russian banks from SWIFT, the system used for trillions of dollars worth of transactions between thousands of banks around the world. The willingness to supply Ukraine with military equipment including surface-to-air missiles and anti-tank weapons is in many ways the most dramatic move.
Such a wide-ranging rethink from Scholz and his government came unexpectedly and prompted suggestions that Europe’s biggest economy may finally be ready to punch its weight in the international arena, discarding decades of reluctance linked to its role in the 20th century’s bloodiest conflicts. Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany, who was in parliament Sunday, called it a “truly historic moment.”
“With the invasion of Ukraine, we are in a new era,” Scholz, the Social Democrat who took over from Angela Merkel in December, told lawmakers. “On Thursday, President Putin created a new reality with his invasion of Ukraine. This new reality requires a clear response. We have given it.”
Germany’s Pivot:
- 100 billion euros for new fund for military spending.
- Annual defense outlays to rise to more than 2% of GDP.
- Work with EU partners to build fighter jets, tanks.
- Purchase armed Heron drones from Israel.
- Increase gas storage volume by 2 billion cubic meters.
- Purchase additional natural gas on the world markets.
- Establish a national coal and gas reserve.
- Build LNG terminals in Brunsbuettel and Wilhelmshaven
German defense spending in recent years has been hovering at around 1.5% and actually declined slightly as a share of output last year, according to NATO figures. That has led to criticism that the armed forces are consistently underfunded. Germany has reduced the number of its battle tanks to 300 from 4,700 since 1989 and the number of warplanes to 230 from 390, according to a report in Der Spiegel magazine. The number of troops has dropped to 180,000 from more than 300,000.
Friedrich Merz, the leader of Merkel’s Christian Democrats, signaled Sunday in his speech to parliament that the party is ready to work with the ruling coalition on agreeing the financing for the defense fund. As well as ramping up defense spending, Scholz also pledged to do more to protect energy supplies, including increasing gas-storage volume by 2 billion cubic meters, establishing a national coal and gas reserve and swiftly constructing two LNG terminals on the north coast. READ MORE
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