70% of survey participants in Germany do not trust the army's ability to defend the country

A new survey conducted in Germany has revealed that a significant portion of the public does not trust the country's defense capacity. According to the research conducted by YouGov between June 17 and July 1 with the participation of 2,079 adults, 70% of participants do not believe that the German army has the strength to protect the country in the face of a potential attack.

The proportion of those who stated they trust the army remained at 21%. 8% of participants did not express an opinion on the matter. It was noted that among the countries covered by the research, Germany is the country where trust in the German army is at its lowest level.

A clear dilemma is also observed in public opinion regarding defense spending. While 40% of participants stated that they find Germany's defense budget insufficient, 77% opposed raising taxes to cover increased defense spending.

62% of those surveyed stated that they do not want cuts to public services to increase the defense budget, while 59% reported that they are against the government taking on more debt.

BERLIN AIMS TO INCREASE DEFENSE CAPACITY

Following Russia's attack on Ukraine in 2022, Germany has prioritized the goal of higher spending and a larger army in its defense policy. The Berlin administration plans to increase defense spending, which was 86 billion euros last year, to 153 billion euros by 2029.

Germany also aims to increase the number of active-duty soldiers from 184,000 to 260,000 and the number of reserve forces to 200,000 by 2035. However, it is considered that reaching these goals will not be easy.

In the country, which suspended mandatory military service in 2011, the reinstatement of the practice is also among the topics of debate. While objections to mandatory military service continue, especially among young people, the debate over increasing the defense budget continues along the axes of security concerns, social spending, and economic problems.