Overview

• NATO has requested that Germany field seven additional brigades, amounting to roughly 40,000 soldiers, to bolster the alliance’s front-line strength.
• The alliance aims to lift its total brigade requirement from about 80 units to between 120 and 130, representing a roughly 50 percent increase.
• Germany currently deploys eight brigades and is building a ninth formation in Lithuania, which is expected to become operational by 2027.
• The Bundeswehr faces a shortfall of around 20,000 regular soldiers due to ongoing recruitment challenges.
• NATO leadership is urging member states to raise defense budgets from the 2 percent guideline toward 5 percent of GDP at the upcoming Hague summit to address the perceived Russian threat.