Current and Prospective State of the German Armed Forces: Strategic Imperatives, Challenges, and Opportunities of Technological Modernization
The last decade has seen an emergence of certain prerequisites for a new breakthrough in development of military technologies in the leading Western countries. Whereas the relevant plans of the United States, including the Defense Innovation Initiative and Third Offset Strategy, have been duly considered by Russian scholars and experts, the analogous plans of the U.S. NATO allies generally remain understudied. This paper examines prospects for a fundamental technological modernization of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Germany as one of the EU and NATO leading powers. The author highlights the shortfalls in financing development and fielding of new military technologies in the mid-2010s and identifies possible mid-term and long-term solutions. In this regard, special attention is paid to a close cooperation between the government and business against the backdrop of transition of the German economy to the new technological wave of ‘Industry 4.0’, where digital technologies form a linchpin of all parts of the production process. The paper outlines the main directions of development of military technologies, including automation technology, in Germany and envisages both the prospective look of the Bundeswehr by 2030 and the Rapid Deployment Forces’ counter-terrorist capabilities.