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Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Opinion - Can Germany reassert itself as Europe's military giant?
As it became clear that President Trump was in earnest about reducing America's military commitment to NATO and European defense, many leaders on the other side of the Atlantic were in a state of shock. Within a three-day period in mid-February, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth addressed the Ukraine Defense Contact Group and Vice President JD Vance spoke at the Munich Security Conference. Their message to Europe was unvarnished: It's up to you to spend more. One of the results of the stark change in mood is that the new chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, recently declared his intention to make the Bundeswehr the strongest armed force in Europe. 'This is more than appropriate for the most populous and economically strongest country in Europe,' he told the Bundestag, Germany's parliament. 'Our friends and partners also expect this from us, and what's more, they are actually demanding it.' It was partly in support of modernizing and expanding the Bundeswehr that Merz rushed legislation through the outgoing parliament in March to amend the Basic Law, Germany's constitution, to allow the structural budget deficit to increase beyond 0.35 percent of GDP, the nation's so-called 'debt brake.' This has been a long time coming. The previous chancellor, Olaf Scholz, gave a stirring speech days after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 that promised a historic turning point — a 'Zeitenwende' — in Germany's defense and security policy. Despite a special €100 billion fund for military modernization, however, the Bundeswehr remains underfunded, poorly equipped and below strength. Many of the military's vehicles and much of its equipment are out of date, including the Luftwaffe's Tornado strike aircraft and the army's Marder infantry fighting vehicles. A decade ago, there were humiliating reports of broomsticks standing in for machine guns on exercises, while the defense minister, Ursula von der Leyen (now president of the European Commission) admitted that most of the Luftwaffe's combat aircraft were not deployable. A quip attributed General Lord Ismay, NATO's first secretary general, is that the alliance was created in 1949 'to keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down.' The first of those imperatives is now as pressing as ever. The second has failed. The third seems to be the opposite of the current direction of travel. The Bundeswehr faces a number of challenges. Recruitment is a major problem. The armed forces are currently just over 180,000-strong, but will need to expand to over 200,000 within the next few years to take on the responsibilities laid out for them by politicians. There are shortages in a number of specialist roles, and the Bundeswehr has yet to find an effective way of making itself a more attractive prospect for young recruits. Until 2011, Germany had compulsory military service — although, with a nod to the country's difficult history, there were many exemptions and it required only a six-month period. The defense minister, Boris Pistorius of the Social Democrats, is introducing a scheme under which 18-year-old men must complete a questionnaire on their willingness and fitness to serve in the Bundeswehr; they may then be invited to enlist, but it will remain voluntary. Pistorius has warned, however, that he could consider the reintroduction of conscription if voluntary recruitment proves insufficient. These are all measures of which Washington should approve. However, German rearmament means substantial procurement of new equipment, and it may be here that Trump has created adverse effects. The talk in NATO and the EU now is of fostering the European defense sector through domestic acquisition, lessening dependence on the U.S. In this respect, a modernizing Bundeswehr is not the major issue. Germany does not buy a great deal of American military equipment. The Luftwaffe has ordered 35 Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II strike aircraft (although there have been calls to cancel the purchase); it is procuring 60 Boeing CH-47F Chinook helicopters; and the German manufacturer Rheinmetall partners with Lockheed Martin in the Global Mobile Artillery Rocket System. Elsewhere in Europe, America's defense industry has always found good customers. Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Belgium and Poland are all F-35 purchasers, with orders pending from Finland, the Czech Republic, Greece and Romania. A dozen European countries still operate the M113 armored personnel carrier, and many smaller nations have a long history of relying on American military vehicles for reliability and interoperability. Trump is often said to worship at the altar of the deal. Yet his personality is oddly unsuited to the compromises and trade-offs that deal-making necessarily involves. It may be, however, that Chancellor Merz's determination to make Germany great again, to adapt a phrase, will encourage Europe to attend to its own defense, as the president has so long wanted. The end result may be that Europe buys much less military equipment from major U.S. manufacturers. Lockheed, RTX, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, Boeing and others will just have to understand. Eliot Wilson, the co-founder of Pivot Point Group, was a senior official in the U.K. House of Commons from 2005 to 2016, including as clerk of the Defence Committee and secretary of the U.K. delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
8 hours ago
- Business
- The Hill
Can Germany reassert itself as Europe's military giant?
As it became clear that President Trump was in earnest about reducing America's military commitment to NATO and European defense, many leaders on the other side of the Atlantic were in a state of shock. Within a three-day period in mid-February, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth addressed the Ukraine Defense Contact Group and Vice President JD Vance spoke at the Munich Security Conference. Their message to Europe was unvarnished: It's up to you to spend more. One of the results of the stark change in mood is that the new chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, recently declared his intention to make the Bundeswehr the strongest armed force in Europe. 'This is more than appropriate for the most populous and economically strongest country in Europe,' he told the Bundestag, Germany's parliament. 'Our friends and partners also expect this from us, and what's more, they are actually demanding it.' It was partly in support of modernizing and expanding the Bundeswehr that Merz rushed legislation through the outgoing parliament in March to amend the Basic Law, Germany's constitution, to allow the structural budget deficit to increase beyond 0.35 percent of GDP, the nation's so-called 'debt brake.' This has been a long time coming. The previous chancellor, Olaf Scholz, gave a stirring speech days after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 that promised a historic turning point — a 'Zeitenwende' — in Germany's defense and security policy. Despite a special €100 billion fund for military modernization, however, the Bundeswehr remains underfunded, poorly equipped and below strength. Many of the military's vehicles and much of its equipment are out of date, including the Luftwaffe's Tornado strike aircraft and the army's Marder infantry fighting vehicles. A decade ago, there were humiliating reports of broomsticks standing in for machine guns on exercises, while the defense minister, Ursula von der Leyen (now president of the European Commission) admitted that most of the Luftwaffe's combat aircraft were not deployable. A quip attributed General Lord Ismay, NATO's first secretary general, is that the alliance was created in 1949 'to keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down.' The first of those imperatives is now as pressing as ever. The second has failed. The third seems to be the opposite of the current direction of travel. The Bundeswehr faces a number of challenges. Recruitment is a major problem. The armed forces are currently just over 180,000-strong, but will need to expand to over 200,000 within the next few years to take on the responsibilities laid out for them by politicians. There are shortages in a number of specialist roles, and the Bundeswehr has yet to find an effective way of making itself a more attractive prospect for young recruits. Until 2011, Germany had compulsory military service — although, with a nod to the country's difficult history, there were many exemptions and it required only a six-month period. The defense minister, Boris Pistorius of the Social Democrats, is introducing a scheme under which 18-year-old men must complete a questionnaire on their willingness and fitness to serve in the Bundeswehr; they may then be invited to enlist, but it will remain voluntary. Pistorius has warned, however, that he could consider the reintroduction of conscription if voluntary recruitment proves insufficient. These are all measures of which Washington should approve. However, German rearmament means substantial procurement of new equipment, and it may be here that Trump has created adverse effects. The talk in NATO and the EU now is of fostering the European defense sector through domestic acquisition, lessening dependence on the U.S. In this respect, a modernizing Bundeswehr is not the major issue. Germany does not buy a great deal of American military equipment. The Luftwaffe has ordered 35 Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II strike aircraft (although there have been calls to cancel the purchase); it is procuring 60 Boeing CH-47F Chinook helicopters; and the German manufacturer Rheinmetall partners with Lockheed Martin in the Global Mobile Artillery Rocket System. Elsewhere in Europe, America's defense industry has always found good customers. Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Belgium and Poland are all F-35 purchasers, with orders pending from Finland, the Czech Republic, Greece and Romania. A dozen European countries still operate the M113 armored personnel carrier, and many smaller nations have a long history of relying on American military vehicles for reliability and interoperability. Trump is often said to worship at the altar of the deal. Yet his personality is oddly unsuited to the compromises and trade-offs that deal-making necessarily involves. It may be, however, that Chancellor Merz's determination to make Germany great again, to adapt a phrase, will encourage Europe to attend to its own defense, as the president has so long wanted. The end result may be that Europe buys much less military equipment from major U.S. manufacturers. Lockheed, RTX, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, Boeing and others will just have to understand. Eliot Wilson, the co-founder of Pivot Point Group, was a senior official in the U.K. House of Commons from 2005 to 2016, including as clerk of the Defence Committee and secretary of the U.K. delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.
RTHK
2 days ago
- Politics
- RTHK
Liaison office director Zhou Ji pays district visits
Liaison office director Zhou Ji pays district visits Zhou Ji visits the Cheung Hang Community Hall in Tsing Yi. Photo courtesy of the Beijing liaison office Zhou Ji says the central government has entrusted him with building a better Hong Kong. Photo courtesy of the Beijing liaison office The newly appointed director of Beijing's liaison office in Hong Kong, Zhou Ji, conducted his first district visits on Sunday. Zhou, who was appointed on Friday, visited the Kowloon Women's Organisations Federation Fu Cheong Women Service Centre in Sham Shui Po, and the Cheung Hang Community Hall in Tsing Yi. The liaison office's website wrote that the director got to know more about the community and residents' lives, and acknowledged the efforts of the District Council, care teams and the three committees. Zhou said, during his time at the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, he witnessed the SAR entering a new stage of advancing from stability to prosperity. He said President Xi Jinping and central authorities have entrusted him with the liaison office role, and that he understands that he has heavy responsibilities to shoulder. The director said he will fully and accurately implement the "One Country, Two Systems" principle and "patriots administering Hong Kong", and safeguard the Constitution and the Basic Law. He said he will fully support the SAR government and Chief Executive, and support the city in leveraging its advantages with the strong support of the nation and being closely connected to the world. Zhou said he will also support Hong Kong in consolidating its status as an international finance, shipping and trading hub, developing innovation and technology, and attracting top talents. He added that the central government has entrusted him with building a better Hong Kong.
Scoop
3 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Hong Kong: New National Security Subsidiary Legislation Further Intensifies Repression
Press Release – Fortify Rights New national security measures strengthen Beijings stranglehold on freedoms. (BANGKOK, May 30, 2025)—New national security measures announced in Hong Kong two weeks ago further intensify the crackdown on freedom of expression, association, assembly, and other basic human rights in the city and undermine the rule of law, judicial independence, and Hong Kong's promised autonomy, Fortify Rights said today. A new 'Safeguarding National Security Regulation' came into effect on May 13, 2025, fast-tracked through the city's Legislative Council just one day after the Hong Kong Security Bureau published proposals for subsidiary legislation. 'These new measures intensify Hong Kong's continuing slide into authoritarianism,' said Benedict Rogers, Senior Director at Fortify Rights. 'Further alignment of Hong Kong's judicial system with Beijing's is deeply concerning given the latter's complete lack of judicial independence and widespread use of torture, arbitrary detention, and enforced disappearance.' The new regulations strengthen measures adopted under the draconian National Security Law (NSL) imposed on Hong Kong by Beijing on June 30, 2020, and an additional domestic security law enacted by the Beijing-controlled Legislative Council under Article 23 of the Basic Law, Hong Kong's mini-constitution, on March 23, 2024. In particular, the new subsidiary legislation strengthens and details procedures for mainland China's ability to exercise jurisdiction over national security cases in Hong Kong, as set out in Article 55 of the 2020 NSL, allowing for prosecutions and trials to take place in the mainland itself. The new measures also designate six sites in Hong Kong – including four hotels–as prohibited locations, because they are bases for the national security bureau. These include the Metropark Hotel Causeway Bay, the City Garden Hotel in North Point, the Island Pacific Hotel in Sai Wan, a China Travel Service hotel in Hung Hom, and two locations along Hoi Fan Road in Tai Kok Tsui. Under the additional regulations, anyone disclosing information about the activities of the Office for Safeguarding National Security in Hong Kong, which is under the direct control of the central government in Beijing, would face a prison sentence of up to seven years. The impact of the security laws imposed by Beijing over the past five years has led to an almost complete dismantling of civil society. The laws apply to the crimes of treason, sedition, secession, subversion, and state secrets, including 'collusion' with foreign forces—vaguely defined terms that have been used imprison pro-democracy activists and shutdown civil society activities. Over the past six years, an estimated 1,000 political prisoners have been jailed, including those arrested during the 2019 pro-democracy protests. These include former democratically elected legislators, journalists, lawyers, and human rights defenders. Among the most prominent political prisoners are the media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai, founder of the pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper, and human rights lawyer Chow Hang-tung. Chow Hang-tung, 40, has been imprisoned since 2021 for her role leading an annual vigil to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, serving multiple sentences. She is charged with inciting subversion under the NSL and has been detained for more than 1,000 days. Jimmy Lai, 77, a British citizen, has been in solitary confinement for more than 1,600 days, held for more than 23 hours a day with no natural light and permitted less than an hour a day for physical exercise. He has been denied the right to independent medical treatment and his first choice of legal counsel, and his international legal team at Doughty Street Chambers have been subjected to rape and death threats and harassment. Jimmy Lai has been arbitrarily detained by the Hong Kong authorities on several occasions, including for 13 months for simply lighting a candle and saying a prayer at a vigil commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. He is currently on trial under Hong Kong's draconian NSL, imposed by Beijing in 2020, and could face life imprisonment. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has ruled that both Jimmy Lai and Chow Hang-tung are human rights defenders who have been arbitrarily detained and should be immediately released. Last week, 22 former political prisoners, hostages, and their relatives sent an open letter to the British prime minister Keir Starmer urging him to act to secure Jimmy Lai's release. Fortify Rights' Senior Director Benedict Rogers attended the press conference at which several of the signatories released the letter. The Safeguarding National Security Regulation may result in further violations of human rights, in addition to the violations of the rights to freedom of expression, association, assembly and other freedoms already perpetrated under the 2020 NSL and the 2024 Safeguarding National Security Ordinance. If the Chinese authorities prosecute, convict and imprison Hong Kong national security cases in mainland China, the right of defendants to fair trial, and to freedom from arbitrary arrest or disappearance, torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, forced labor, as set out in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), will be significantly undermined. Although China is not a party to the ICCPR, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's Basic Law and Bill of Rights incorporate the ICCPR into Hong Kong law and therefore these new regulations violate Hong Kong's obligations under its own domestic law and international law. 'There is a grave risk that Jimmy Lai could die in jail,' said Benedict Rogers. 'The international community, particularly the United Kingdom, has a responsibility to act urgently to secure his release. We urge world leaders to increase pressure on China to free Jimmy Lai, and to spell out the consequences for the authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong if they refuse to do so.'
Scoop
3 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Hong Kong: New National Security Subsidiary Legislation Further Intensifies Repression
(BANGKOK, May 30, 2025)—New national security measures announced in Hong Kong two weeks ago further intensify the crackdown on freedom of expression, association, assembly, and other basic human rights in the city and undermine the rule of law, judicial independence, and Hong Kong's promised autonomy, Fortify Rights said today. A new 'Safeguarding National Security Regulation' came into effect on May 13, 2025, fast-tracked through the city's Legislative Council just one day after the Hong Kong Security Bureau published proposals for subsidiary legislation. 'These new measures intensify Hong Kong's continuing slide into authoritarianism,' said Benedict Rogers, Senior Director at Fortify Rights. 'Further alignment of Hong Kong's judicial system with Beijing's is deeply concerning given the latter's complete lack of judicial independence and widespread use of torture, arbitrary detention, and enforced disappearance.' The new regulations strengthen measures adopted under the draconian National Security Law (NSL) imposed on Hong Kong by Beijing on June 30, 2020, and an additional domestic security law enacted by the Beijing-controlled Legislative Council under Article 23 of the Basic Law, Hong Kong's mini-constitution, on March 23, 2024. In particular, the new subsidiary legislation strengthens and details procedures for mainland China's ability to exercise jurisdiction over national security cases in Hong Kong, as set out in Article 55 of the 2020 NSL, allowing for prosecutions and trials to take place in the mainland itself. The new measures also designate six sites in Hong Kong – including four hotels–as prohibited locations, because they are bases for the national security bureau. These include the Metropark Hotel Causeway Bay, the City Garden Hotel in North Point, the Island Pacific Hotel in Sai Wan, a China Travel Service hotel in Hung Hom, and two locations along Hoi Fan Road in Tai Kok Tsui. Under the additional regulations, anyone disclosing information about the activities of the Office for Safeguarding National Security in Hong Kong, which is under the direct control of the central government in Beijing, would face a prison sentence of up to seven years. The impact of the security laws imposed by Beijing over the past five years has led to an almost complete dismantling of civil society. The laws apply to the crimes of treason, sedition, secession, subversion, and state secrets, including 'collusion' with foreign forces—vaguely defined terms that have been used imprison pro-democracy activists and shutdown civil society activities. Over the past six years, an estimated 1,000 political prisoners have been jailed, including those arrested during the 2019 pro-democracy protests. These include former democratically elected legislators, journalists, lawyers, and human rights defenders. Among the most prominent political prisoners are the media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai, founder of the pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper, and human rights lawyer Chow Hang-tung. Chow Hang-tung, 40, has been imprisoned since 2021 for her role leading an annual vigil to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, serving multiple sentences. She is charged with inciting subversion under the NSL and has been detained for more than 1,000 days. Jimmy Lai, 77, a British citizen, has been in solitary confinement for more than 1,600 days, held for more than 23 hours a day with no natural light and permitted less than an hour a day for physical exercise. He has been denied the right to independent medical treatment and his first choice of legal counsel, and his international legal team at Doughty Street Chambers have been subjected to rape and death threats and harassment. Jimmy Lai has been arbitrarily detained by the Hong Kong authorities on several occasions, including for 13 months for simply lighting a candle and saying a prayer at a vigil commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. He is currently on trial under Hong Kong's draconian NSL, imposed by Beijing in 2020, and could face life imprisonment. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has ruled that both Jimmy Lai and Chow Hang-tung are human rights defenders who have been arbitrarily detained and should be immediately released. Last week, 22 former political prisoners, hostages, and their relatives sent an open letter to the British prime minister Keir Starmer urging him to act to secure Jimmy Lai's release. Fortify Rights' Senior Director Benedict Rogers attended the press conference at which several of the signatories released the letter. The Safeguarding National Security Regulation may result in further violations of human rights, in addition to the violations of the rights to freedom of expression, association, assembly and other freedoms already perpetrated under the 2020 NSL and the 2024 Safeguarding National Security Ordinance. If the Chinese authorities prosecute, convict and imprison Hong Kong national security cases in mainland China, the right of defendants to fair trial, and to freedom from arbitrary arrest or disappearance, torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, forced labor, as set out in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), will be significantly undermined. Although China is not a party to the ICCPR, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's Basic Law and Bill of Rights incorporate the ICCPR into Hong Kong law and therefore these new regulations violate Hong Kong's obligations under its own domestic law and international law. 'There is a grave risk that Jimmy Lai could die in jail,' said Benedict Rogers. 'The international community, particularly the United Kingdom, has a responsibility to act urgently to secure his release. We urge world leaders to increase pressure on China to free Jimmy Lai, and to spell out the consequences for the authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong if they refuse to do so.'
