Latest news with #Marder
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- 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 Many of the military's vehicles and much of its equipment are out of date, including the Luftwaffe's Tornado strike aircraft and the army's Marder infantry fighting vehicles.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
02-06-2025
- 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.
The Journal
02-06-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
New Government plan will increase meetings between criminals and their victims
THE GOVERNMENT WANTS to massively increase the number of meetings between criminals and the victims of their crimes in a bid to repair the harm caused by offenders. Fewer than 1% of court cases in 2019 were referred to restorative justice programmes, where offenders and victims meet face-to-face alongside trained professionals. The meetings typically let the victim talk about the impact the crime had on them and get answers to questions they may have. New targets have now been set out by the Probation Service seeking to increase the number of cases referred by the courts by 10% every year for three years, in the hope that restorative justice can be woven into the justice system. Welcoming the new targets, assistant professor in criminology at Maynooth University Dr Ian Marder said investment must be increased in order to make the service available to all who might benefit. 'These targets are achievable, but we're starting from a very low baseline,' Marder said. Pointing to his own research , Marder said the state is 'barely scratching the surface of the potential of restorative justice'. He said fewer than 400 cases were referred to the programmes in 2023, despite over 320,000 cases going through the courts. Based on those figures, as data from 2024 has yet to be published, the Probation Service could see just under 1,500 cases referred to them for restorative justice programmes between 2025 and 2027. The Programme for Government includes a commitment to continuing the rollout of the restorative justice programme in communities nationwide, Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan recently told the Dáil . Advertisement He cited an additional €4m in funding allocated to the Probation Service in Budget 2025 which, among other things, will support services such as restorative justice. Marder told The Journal : 'It is really important to increase referrals to restorative justice because most people affected by crime are still not being offered the chance to participate, even where services exist.' Sinn Féin's TD Matt Carthy told The Journal : 'In the broadest terms, I welcome the publication of the action plan and that it's seen that the Probation Service is taking seriously its commitments to restorative justice.' The party's justice spokesperson said he hopes the 10% increase is 'not seen as the upper limit' to what can be achieved by the Probation Service in the plan. Carthy added that the government should continue to provide additional funding to the service but stressed that it should be underpinned by increased investments for community-based organisation facilitating the practice. The two-year action plan seeks to increase interventions by 10% and start an upskilling and training drive. Potentially suitable cases are referred to the Probation Service's Restorative Justice and Victim Services Unit, probation officers and independent third parties. Many victims or people impacted by crime are often unaware that restorative justice programmes are available to them through the courts service. Referrals must be made by judges or gardaí. There are no immediate plans to recruit additional staff in the sector, with the action plan confident that capacity can withstand potential increases in referrals if partnered with sufficient training. Marder said some organisations have recruited one or two members of additional staff following a funding injection last year . He suggested that any additional funding in the action plan may seek to expand services into different counties. 'Again, the problem is that the starting point is very low,' he said. 'So we need to see the investment increase by many multiples before restorative justice will be accessible by everyone who might benefit.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Geek Tyrant
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
RICK AND MORTY Showrunner Promises Shorter Wait Between Future Seasons as Seasons 9 and 10 Are in Development — GeekTyrant
For Rick and Morty fans who've weathered the long, unpredictable gaps between seasons (Season 3 to 4 still lives in infamy), we have some good news to share as the wait times between seasons are shrinking. While Season 8 is set to drop on May 25 on Adult Swim, showrunner and executive producer Scott Marder gave io9 an exciting update during a recent press day. Not only is Season 9 nearly finished, but the team is already deep into Season 10, and they're sticking to a tighter timeline going forward. Marder shared 'We're now through writing season 10. So we've got a cool view of the whole front 10. We definitely have cool things ahead.' If that doesn't get you grinning like Mr. Meeseeks, Marder had even more good news about the season that comes after the upcoming one: 'It is almost entirely into color, which is the last stage. I mean, we're through all the heavy lifting on it. It's an excellent season. We just started production on season 10, which is also an excellent season. You should be getting every [new season] a year [after the last one].' Rick and Morty has had its fair share of delays, some due to writing timelines, others due to industry-wide slowdowns like the 2023 strikes. But Marder's confidence in a more consistent rollout is nice to hear. The series has already been greenlit through Season 12, so if everything stays on track, fans might actually get a new season each year without needing to rewatch the entire series out of sheer withdrawal. With Season 8 just weeks away and future seasons already cooking, it feels like Rick and Morty has finally stabilized its portal-jumping schedule. Time to reset the season countdown clock with a lot less existential dread.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Court likely next stop as overhaul of Child Victims Act is signed into law
A bill that lowers damages for survivors of institutional sex abuse was one of more than 140 bills signed into law by Gov. Wes Moore (D) on Tuesday. (Photo by Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters) Lawyers representing men and women who were abused as children while in state custody said newly signed legislation will lead to court challenges and a wave of lawsuits over the next five weeks. Gov. Wes Moore (D) and legislative leaders on Tuesday signed House Bill 1378 into law, which will cut in half potential awards to victims that were promised just two years ago in legislation that was hailed for giving survivors another chance to have their day in court. But that led to claims by thousands of men and women who were sexually abused while in state custody, opening the door to potentially budget-crushing financial awards and sparking the rush to pass HB1378, which takes effect June 1. D. Todd Mathews, an attorney with Bailey & Glasser, said his firm would be part of a challenge to the new law. 'We will vigorously oppose this clearly unconstitutional bill, in order to protect the Survivors, as the State and Governor Moore have clearly failed them,' Mathews said in an email. Washington, D.C.-based Bailey & Glasser is one of nearly two dozen firms representing more than 4,500 plaintiffs. The coalition of firms has been in active negotiations with the Maryland Attorney General's office since 2023. Mathews and Ryan S. Perlin, an attorney at Baltimore-based Bekman, Marder, Hopper, Malarkey & Perlin, said the newly signed law could face several potential constitutional challenges. 'It's all but a certainty that this will be challenged,' Perlin said Tuesday morning. With a June 1 effective date, survivors have until May 31 to file a lawsuit under the old law, which caps damages at $1.5 million per occurrence for private institutions and $890,000 per occurrence against government entities. On June 1, those caps fall to $700,000 and $400,000, respectively. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Perlin said those reductions, as well as the five-week filing window, will likely be challenged, along with the difference in how the law treats lawsuits against private and public institutions. The bill also caps the fees that can be paid to attorneys representing survivors. 'That will have a chilling effect, making it harder for survivors to find a lawyer who will represent them,' said Perlin, whose firm announced last week that it had filed a new group of lawsuits against Towson-based Calvert Hall College High School under the current law The bill was one of 142 signed into law at the second ceremony following the 2025 session. That second tranche of new laws included bills affecting expungement of criminal records, the Second Look Act and legislation to aid federal workers whose jobs have been eliminated by President Donald Trump. Moore did not comment on the Child Victims Act changes during remarks delivered before the bill signing. When asked for comment, a spokesperson for the office repeated a statement from last week, that 'acknowledged the trauma' survivors have faced, but said the bill would 'continue to allow the survivors to seek justice while preserving the long-term fiscal stability of the state.'' Lisae Jordan, executive director and counsel at Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault, said she hoped the state would make more services available to people who were abused in state facilities. 'House Bill 1378 will save the state a lot of money, but it remains to be seen whether some of the savings will be used to help prevent future abuse or to provide services for survivors who can't prove their case in court,' Jordan said in an email. 'Helping people who were sexually abused while in state custody doesn't require a lawsuit, but it will require more resources.' The muted comment at Tuesday's signing was a vastly different affair than two years ago when Moore praised passage of the Child Victims Act and throngs of survivors traveled to Annapolis for the bill signing. That 2023 law eliminated time restrictions during which survivors of institutional sexual abuse had to file lawsuits. It also set the $1.5 million and $890,000 caps on awards per 'occurrence' of abuse — a term over which plaintiff's attorneys and some lawmakers disagree. At the time, the focus was on the substantial number of cases expected to arise out of the Catholic church sex abuse scandal, and the Archdiocese of Baltimore filed for bankruptcy protection in advance of the 2023 law taking effect. At the same time, hundreds of cases against the state, including the Department of Juvenile Services, began to surface. Lawmakers were warned in January of billions in potential liabilities from an estimated 3,500 cases. Those alone would have dire budgetary consequences. Since then, a coalition of attorneys has said they have nearly 6,000 cases. And those cases are believed to be just the start. Two weeks ago, Levy Konigsberg, a New York-based law firm that is part of the coalition, filed lawsuits on behalf of 221 men and women in connection with sexual abuse allegations at 15 state juvenile detention facilities. The lawsuits bring the number of claims handled by Levy Konigsberg alone to roughly 2,000, according to the firm. Del. C.T. Wilson (D-Charles), who sponsored the 2023 bill, stepped in to author the changes in HB1378, which he called an attempt to ease the potential financial burden to the state while giving survivors the opportunity to seek justice. 'This bill does nothing to change the amounts [government] is going to pay out,' said Perlin, who said lawyers will rush 'thousands of cases' to the courthouses in the next five weeks in order to come in under the current, higher caps. That rush of cases could potentially slow the judicial system and its existing workload of criminal and civil cases to a crawl. It is likely that victims' claims and legal challenges to the new law will move simultaneously. Lawyers could seek a temporary injunction before the end of May, to put the law on hold while courts determine its constitutionality; or attorneys representing the survivors could hold off on a challenge until June 1, when the new law takes effect. A third scenario would bring a challenge to the law after survivors start appealing the resolution of individual cases, according to Perlin. Mathews agreed, adding that scenario could take years to resolve.
