A leading figure within the German government says Germany should play its part in the development of an independent nuclear deterrent. Jens Spahn, parliamentary leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), advocated a European nuclear umbrella not under U.S. control. The alternative, he claims, is becoming a “pawn” on the global stage.
In an interview with the German newspaper Welt, Spahn argued:
We should have a debate about an independent European nuclear umbrella, and that will only work with German leadership.
The suggestion comes despite Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s recent professions of faith in the NATO project. It also ignores potential public hostility to the move, in keeping with Germany’s pacifist constitution—and Europe’s existing nuclear leadership from Britain and France.
Nevertheless, Germany is undergoing a process of rearmament, as demonstrated by the recent establishment of a German military brigade in Vilnius, Lithuania.
