Five-Percent-Target Unraveled: Lanz Neitzel on NATO, Defenses, and a Hidden Confession
"Neitzel: 'We'll likely continue with wrestling and incur significant expenses'""OR""Neitzel: 'Wrestling is likely to continue, accompanied by a substantial financial drain'"
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp Email Print Copy Link Markus Lanz dissects the NATO summit and Europe's military prowess with his guests. The ambitious five-percent target is ambitious, but military historian Neitzel expresses his doubts on its feasibility.
NATO's latest gathering in The Hague is history. From now on, European NATO members pledge to part with five percent of their GDP for the defense alliance. Donald Trump is pleased, and all's well with the world. Trump didn't explode, storm out, or lash out like a wild beast - much credit to NATO diplomat Mark Rutte who's spent weeks maneuvering and massaging the US President.
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According to military historian Sonke Neitzel, the gathering in The Hague was the meeting's lowest point. The Europeans "have been dealt with like reluctant horses" in pursuit of the 2% target, he says. Now we've ascended to the glamorous 5%. The big question now revolves around implementation. Neitzel deems it essential. Yet, the German military remains the caricature of German bureaucracy, an issue that drives Neitzel bananas, along with the soldiers themselves.
The future of European defense could be precarious, perhaps that's why there are unsettling silences when Markus Lanz asks Katharina Dröge, the Green Party's faction leader, "Fear of war, Katharina?" In response, the politician acknowledges the concern, but she's not prepared to contemplate impending hostilities. Instead, she urges caution to avert such a scenario. But if Putin's threats are sincere, and he seeks more than Ukraine, then conventional weapons will be crucial, she admits.
"So are we prepared to defend our country?" Neitzel ponders. "If my nation faces an attack, and there's a war, which I hope to prevent, and if the Bundeswehr needs me, I will serve." Lanz hesitates before confessing, "I have served." Moved by his trips to Ukraine, he's reassessed the notion of using deadly force.
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When Neitzel is asked to envision such a war, he outlines a different scenario. There will be no nuclear apocalypse. "Russia can't wage an extensive war against NATO; what was once planned in the Warsaw Pact won't happen. Expect cyberattacks, special operations, and a reliance on provocative moves to test the alliance. It's worrying, but we won't face a sudden surprise attack."
Markus Lanz apparently shares a more peaceful outlook post-NATO summit. We have the 3.5% commitment; it was a significant move, he says. Less dramatic Russian maneuvers this fall seem likely. The situation remains tense, asserts Katharina Dröge. "But we must not falter."
Insights Defense Spending and the Road Ahead:The 5% target involves $1.9 trillion in annual funding increase for NATO members to achieve by 2035 [1][2]. Even if European allies commit to this vast sum, it remains uncertain whether they'll manage sustainable, practical implementation. Without serious financial planning and reforms, surging spending might lead to economic instability rather than enhanced military capabilities [1].
Given the challenges, concrete action beyond commitments will be essential to progress [1][2]. Recognizing the urgency, European leadership plays an essential role in driving this transformation, especially amid concerns about US commitment to Europe and Russia's ongoing military rebuild [1][2].
[1] Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS): "Assessing the European Defense Investment Pledge"[2] Council on Foreign Relations (CFR): "The Shift to 5 Percent Defense Spending for European NATO Countries"
The Commission has also been asked to submit a proposal for a directive on the politics of the five-percent target for NATO defense spending, in light of the uncertainty surrounding its practical implementation.
General-news sources have reported on the politics surrounding the NATO Summit, where US President Donald Trump pushed for increased US weapons sales amid an ongoing conflict with Iran.
