Britain Advances Unwaveringly - Germany Remains Stationary: Exploring the Perilous Oversight of the Merz Administration in Defense Modernization
Britain vs Germany: The Rise of Autonomous Warfare
Engin Eroğlu, MEP and deputy federal chairman of FREIE WAHLER,Addressing the United Kingdom's bold move to revolutionize its military, Eroğlu openly expresses admiration for the UK's forward-thinking "20-40-40" strategy, aiming to have 80% of its army composed of unmanned systems by 2030. This strategic vision, Eroğlu believes, sets a prime example for others to follow.
In stark contrast, Eroğlu criticizes the German federal government under Friedrich Merz and Defence Minister Boris Pistorius. The lack of operational insights drawn from the Ukraine war and the persistent investment in outdated systems concern Eroğlu deeply. He laments the squandering of the special fund introduced by the previous government due to its lack of strategic direction.
The Modern Battlefield: Dominated by Drones
Warfare today relies heavily on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for reconnaissance, target acquisition, electronic warfare, and precise combat against enemy forces. Eroğlu recognizes Britain's grasp of this reality, as it actively integrates autonomous drones and loitering munitions into its military, abandons heavy tanks, and assembles a flexible, hybrid army with a minimal personnel count.
Germany's Delayed Response: Neglect and Patchwork
Despite the importance of autonomous systems in contemporary warfare, Germany remains without a coherent drone strategy for offensive, defensive, or swarming tactics. Eroğlu accuses the government of inadequate planning, with neither tactical UAVs nor loitering munitions planned as standard resources at a battalion level. He also criticizes the absence of systematic drone training for officers and the industry-led approach to research and development.
The Path to Europe's Strongest Army
Eroğlu proposes several strategies to propel Germany into becoming Europe's leading military force:
- Establish a "Future Command for Autonomous Systems," funding, operational responsibility, and direct ministerial subordination, to prioritize research, procurement, and deployment of autonomous systems.
- Aim for 60-80% unmanned effective systems by 2032, including tactical UAVs in every platoon, loitering munitions at the battalion level, operational long-range drones with AI-assisted target control, and the creation of a "European Drone Valley" in Germany.
- Mandate drone training for all officer career paths.
- Lead the way in a joint European drone strategy.
Strong State Control of Research and Development: With global superpowers progressing rapidly in the field of autonomous systems, Eroğlu advocates for strategic promotion and acceleration of research projects through a state innovation command.
Critical Questions for the Federal Government Merz/Pistorius:
- Why is Germany hesitant to integrate armed drones despite the insights from current conflicts?
- How will the expansion of conventional large platforms align with modern, digitally networked combat management?
- Is Germany willing to risk its security policy leadership in Europe by sticking with familiar technologies?
Europe needs innovative defense concepts, not another tank fleet. Britain demonstrates the future of modern armed forces. The Merz government stands at a crossroads: Will Germany choose to follow or lead the military future of Europe?
Germany must act now to avoid losing its security policy significance, both technologically, strategically, and geopolitically.
Engin Eroğlu's Urgent Plea: "We can no longer rely on conventional deterrence. To protect our soldiers and maintain Europe's security policy sovereignty, we must now set the course – for a digital, autonomous, and responsive Bundeswehr."
While Eroğlu's recent proposals for German military autonomous systems are not extensively documented, the German military's trajectory is evident: a growing integration of autonomous and loitering munition systems, with a focus on modularity, AI, and scalable deployment to meet both offensive and defensive requirements on the modern battlefield.
- The lack of a coherent drone strategy for offensive, defensive, or swarming tactics in Germany, as criticized by Engin Eroğlu, raises questions about the country's readiness for autonomous warfare, especially in contrast to Britain's aggressive integration of autonomous drones and loitering munitions into its military.
- With Britain actively embracing technology in its military, setting a goal to have 80% of its army composed of unmanned systems by 2030, there is a need for the German federal government, under Friedrich Merz and Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, to reevaluate its current investment in outdated systems and strategy.
- In light of Britain's forward-thinking approach to technology in war-and-conflicts, policy-and-legislation, and general-news, Germany's delayed response and patchwork approach towards autonomous systems may pose a threat to its security policy leadership in Europe.
