April 25, 2025
Germany's New Defense Agenda
On April 9th, Friedrich Merz, the leader of Germany’s center-right Christian Democratic Union, secured a coalition agreement with the Social Democrats following his party’s victory in the federal elections. In early May, the Bundestag is expected to convene and elect him as the next Chancellor. One of the most significant initiatives of this new government is likely to be a historic overhaul of Germany’s defense posture.
To discuss this and more, we’re pleased to welcome Claudia Major and Christian Mölling to discuss Germany's new government and defense strategy.
Claudia Major is the Senior Vice President of Transatlantic Security at the German Marshall Fund
Christian Mölling is a Senior Advisor at the European Policy Centre
More from CNAS
-
Credibility and Capability: The Future of Nuclear Stability
Over the last month, nuclear tensions have been heating up. In late October, Vladimir Putin claimed two achievements: the successful test of a nuclear-powered missile known as...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Jim Townsend & Jon B. Wolfsthal
-
Australia Bows Out of COP31 Bid
Tensions are growing in Europe as Russia continues to strike an aggressive stance over the war in Ukraine. In the latest provocation, the UK says a Russian spy ship operating ...
By Jim Townsend
-
Indo-Pacific Security / Transatlantic Security
Why the U.S. Should Unlock Allied CooperationAmerica’s allies are cooperating in a growing variety of domains. In their recent Foreign Affairs piece, former NATO Ambassador Julie Smith and former National Security Counci...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend
-
Trump's Trade Talks and Europe with Liz Economy and Mikko Huotari
President Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping on October 30, 2025, ended with a temporary truce between the two leaders. While thi...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend