Germany's defense spending surpasses Britain's for the first time since the Cold War

Special forces commandos during the visit of Olaf Scholz, German Chancellor, to Calw on Tuesday Photo: Thomas Niedermüller/Getty

Defense of Germany According to new spending is forecast to exceed that of the UK by 2025.

The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) predicts that Germany will spend around $120 billion (£94.13 billion) a year on defense in Germany. 2030 compared to the UK, which is forecast to spend around £90 billion. If Germany were to actually outspend Britain, it would be the first time it has done so since 1981.

Tory MPs on Wednesday expressed disappointment that the government's budget was short on announcements of new money for Ministry of Defense.

Mark Francois, a member of the House of Commons defense committee, said: «The Defense Secretary recently warned that we were moving from a 'post-war to a pre-war world', but no one appears to have told the Treasury that.» /p>

All data used to plot the graph was based on «an annual assessment of global military capabilities and defense economics,» the IISS said.

Germany has pledged to significantly increase its defense budget as part of the Zeitenwende, or turn of the clock, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Germany reached a defense spending target of two percent of GDP this year for the first time since the Cold War, as Berlin seeks to become a major security player in Europe after decades of lagging behind on military issues.

It comes after as Miguel Berger, Germany's ambassador to the UK, told the BBC there was «no need» for his country to apologize after last week's deeply embarrassing leak of a highly sensitive discussion between German air force officials about the war. in Ukraine.

The conversation, which was intercepted by Russia and published by state broadcaster Russia Today, also discussed secret details about the possibility of British troops being stationed in Ukraine.

Boris Pistorius, Germany's defense minister, said the call was intercepted by Russia because one of the officers involved dialed the number on an unsecured line from a hotel in Singapore. He stressed that Germany's secure lines of communication for sensitive government matters had not been compromised.

British personnel in Ukraine under threat

The officer, identified by German media as Brigadier General Frank Graefe, will not be fired over the security breach, Mr Pistorius said earlier this week.

Mr Berger, the German ambassador, said «no need to apologize» for the leak, which British security sources fear could have confused British staff in Ukraine. risk. He said it was due to “an individual error by one of the officers.”

“I think this is a good lesson for everyone: never use the Internet in a hotel if you want to make a secure call. » Mr Berger added in an interview with the BBC's Today program on Radio 4.

He also criticized Ben Wallace, the former defense secretary, who responded to news of the leak by warning that Germany had been «pretty infiltrated » Russian security services.

He said it fell into a Russian trap of creating division.

“It was an irresponsible comment. And this comment formed the basis of the Russian version,” Mr. Berger said.