Newly minted German Chancellor Olaf Scholz succeeded Angela Merkel in late 2021, after a campaign where he was conspicuously silent on NATO nuclear deterrent plans.<\/p>\n
Germany is not a nuclear-capable nation, despite having the facilities to produce warheads, but is included in NATO's weapon sharing agreements.<\/p>\n
Under the Scholz administration, the country has ramped up defence spending amid the crisis in Ukraine.<\/p>\n
He pledged to raise defence spending to two percent of Germany's GDP and increased the annual defence budget from 50.3 billion to nearly 70 million.<\/p>\n
As part of this push, German defence minister Christine Lambrecht announced the government would replace its Tornado bomber jets with US-made F-35A Lightning II aircraft.<\/p>\n
While she didn't mention nuclear production, Ms Lambrecht said these planes could deliver nuclear warheads.<\/p>\n
The German Chancellor has demonstrated a readiness to defend his country from potential aggression, meaning his forces would be well equipped to respond to active warmongering in Western Europe and beyond.<\/p>\n
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NATO map: The three countries that could attack Russia first in WW3 - Express<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Newly minted German Chancellor Olaf Scholz succeeded Angela Merkel in late 2021, after a campaign where he was conspicuously silent on NATO nuclear deterrent plans. Germany is not a nuclear-capable nation, despite having the facilities to produce warheads, but is included in NATO's weapon sharing agreements. Continue reading