In April 2026, the German government released its first military strategy since 1945, signaling a major change in how Germany approaches defense. This document reflects a shift in policy that began with promises made in 2022 and the Zeitenwende—a term meaning "turning point"—which marked a new era of increased military involvement. The strategy aims to make Germany’s armed forces, the Bundeswehr, the strongest conventional military in Europe. While it talks about shared European responsibilities, the plan is mostly focused on national goals and aligns closely with NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance of European and North American countries. The strategy is built around three stages of military development: immediate readiness for combat, growing capabilities over time, and achieving technological superiority in the long run. These goals include raising the number of soldiers to about 460,000 by 2035, modernizing military equipment, and positioning the Bundeswehr as a central force in Europe’s conventional military power. The plan emphasizes areas like logistics, mobility, protecting infrastructure, and long-range attack capabilities, all intended to give Germany more strategic depth and security. The document also highlights Germany’s strong alignment with NATO, placing the alliance at the center of its security planning. Defending NATO territory is seen as a top priority, and Germany aims to be more active in the alliance without challenging its leadership. For example, Germany has kept a brigade stationed in Lithuania, a country on NATO’s eastern edge near Russia, to show its commitment to collective defense and deterrence against potential Russian aggression. Even though there have been concerns about the future of the U.S.-Germany relationship since the return of Donald Trump to power in 2025, the strategy still emphasizes the importance of the United States and maintaining the credibility of NATO’s deterrence. Germany’s military choices, such as adopting the F-35 fighter jet, are tied to NATO’s nuclear sharing agreements, which involve European countries participating in the U.S. nuclear defense system. This shows how Germany’s strategic goals depend on NATO and the U.S., even as it discusses the idea of European strategic autonomy. However, the European defense cooperation mentioned in the strategy does not mean a stronger, more integrated European defense industry. The European Union’s Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) remains focused on intergovernmental cooperation and has limited integration, meaning countries still operate mostly independently in defense matters.