Overview

• Germany marked 70 years in NATO with a ceremony in Brussels, attended by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
• Steinmeier emphasized that bolstering the Bundeswehr is the new German government's highest priority to ensure European security.
• Germany has committed to sustained 2% GDP defense spending for the first time in decades, supported by a constitutional amendment enabling increased military funding.
• NATO Secretary-General Rutte praised Germany’s enhanced contributions, including troops on the eastern flank and investments in modern military capabilities.
• The event occurred in the context of Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and reduced US conventional defense commitments, underscoring the need for European burden-sharing.