For decades, Germany’s security model was simple: America provided protection, Germany focused on prosperity. That deal is changing.
As Defense Minister Pistorius meets Defense Secretary Hegseth in Washington to discuss major defense purchases, NATO and Europe’s security, Germany is preparing to spend billions on its military while facing growing political pressure at home.
Is this just a weapons deal, or the beginning of a more “balanced” partnership?
This week on Berlin Briefing, DW’s Chief Political Editor Michaela Küfner is joined by Chief Political Correspondent Nina Haase, fresh from the Pistorius-Hegseth meeting, and Washington Bureau Chief Ines Pohl to unpack Germany’s security gamble, America’s expectations, and the future of the transatlantic alliance.
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Chapters:
00:00 When Germany’s old formula stops working
01:30 Merz faces growing doubts
04:17 Alliance or business?
06:10 Why Germany chose the F-35 fighter jet
11:22 Trusting America in uncertain times
14:23 Defense spending meets industrial policy
17:02 Russia remains Europe’s defining threat
20:46 NATO’s European future
23:29 Ukraine and the transatlantic gap
27:04 Reinventing NATO for a new era?
29:01Space Warfare or strategic distraction?
30:31 Episode outlook: Germany’s next electoral test
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