Overview
- A senior Pentagon official, Elbridge Colby, told the Senate that Germany and other allies have taken "credible steps" to meet the defense pledges from last year’s Hague summit.
- Colby said Monday that Germany’s shift over the past 18 months amounts to a tectonic change from relative demilitarization to rapid rearmament.
- Germany reported record planned defence outlays for 2026 of nearly €125 billion in NATO data, and German officials have set a national target to reach the NATO five‑percent benchmark by 2029.
- Berlin and Washington formalized a declaration of intent in mid‑September to deepen defence‑industrial cooperation on production and procurement.
- U.S. praise for Germany serves as political leverage inside NATO and could speed joint procurement, boost German defence industry jobs, and shape how other allies plan their own spending and procurement choices.