logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2023
26m 35s

Germany Cautiously Rebuilds Its Military...

Bloomberg and iHeartPodcasts
About this episode

For decades, Germany has downplayed military spending. But after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the government reversed its longstanding ban on sending weapons into war zones, and announced a plan to spend an additional 100 billion euros to upgrade its armed forces.

Bloomberg senior editor Alan Crawford joins this episode to explain why the country’s defense industry is booming—and why that’s dividing a public wary of a German military resurgence. And military analyst Dr. Bastian Giegerich makes the case for why Germany should be spending even more to prepare for current and future threats.

Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK 

Have questions or comments for Wes and the team? Reach us at bigtake@bloomberg.net.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Yesterday
Wall Street Banks Are Battling for Japan’s Top Young Talent
Japan’s hottest banking talent is in high demand as Wall Street goes all out to woo new hires with fancy dinners, strong-arm tactics and higher salaries. On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, Bloomberg’s Lisa Du talks to host K. Oanh Ha about why firms are resorting to extreme measur ... Show More
13m 20s
Jul 9
How a 10-Minute Video Call Changed the Oil Market
OPEC+, a coalition of some of the world’s top oil producers, surprised markets over the weekend with plans to boost production by more than half a million barrels a day. The increase comes at a time when investors are worried about oversupply. So what was behind the decision? Blo ... Show More
14m 28s
Jul 8
China's Plans to Make AI a Utility
In a remote part of China's northwestern Xinjiang region, dozens of data centers rise from the desert. A Bloomberg analysis of investor and tax documents and company filings found Chinese companies plan to buy more than 115,000 high-tech Nvidia chips — chips the US has banned fro ... Show More
16m 9s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2023
The Re-Militarization of Germany
In the decades after World War II and the atrocities of the Holocaust, Germany deliberately underinvested in its military. But that’s about to change.Katrin Bennhold, a correspondent in Europe and former Berlin bureau chief, explains why Germany is re-entering an era of militariz ... Show More
27m 42s
Jun 2022
Война. Почему Германия не поставляет Украине обещанное оружие
В подкасте "Что это было" мы говорим с берлинским корреспондентом издания "Медуза" (признана в России иностранным агентом) Дмитрием Вачединым, почему Германия не торопится помогать оружием Украине, как война меняет ФРГ и ее отношения с Россией.0:00 Приветствие, ведущий - Олег Ант ... Show More
39m 52s
Feb 2024
Russia’s threat to Europe
How much of a threat would Russia pose to Europe if its invasion of Ukraine was successful? Given recent remarks by the US Republican presidential contender Donald Trump, does Europe have the firepower to defend itself without the aid of the US? Gideon discusses these questions w ... Show More
18m 1s
Mar 2022
How the Ukraine crisis has changed Germany's place in the world
The war in Ukraine is forcing countries to reconsider their relations with Europe's easternmost neighbour. As Germany prepares to almost double its spending on its military, following the postponement of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia, are we seeing a sea-change in Russo- ... Show More
28m 2s
Jun 2023
How Ukraine’s fightback could change the world
Gideon talks to Karin von Hippel, director-general of the UK defence think-tank RUSI, about Ukraine’s counteroffensive and the discussions that are already taking place about a new world order once the fighting is over. Clips: Channel 4 News More on this topic:Military briefing: ... Show More
25m 18s
Jan 2023
Has Germany been holding back the war effort in Ukraine?
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has led to one of the biggest shifts ever seen in Germany's post-war foreign policy. Vladimir Putin managed to achieve what NATO allies spent years trying to: a massive increase in Germany's military spending and a commitment to NATO's spending target ... Show More
49m 2s
Feb 2023
Is Germany ready to back Ukraine's defense for the long-haul?
It's been nearly a year since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and there's no end to the war in sight. Today at the Munich Security Conference, President Zelensky said Ukraine was fighting so the west doesn’t have to. As leader of Europe’s economic powerhouse Germany’s Chancellor Ol ... Show More
54m 50s
Mar 2022
War in Ukraine sparks Germany’s defence policy transformation
As the brutality of Moscow’s invasion intensifies, the idea of targeting oil and gas exports for sanctions is no longer off the table, and Federal Reserve chair Jay Powell confirmed to US lawmakers that he is backing a quarter point rate rise later this month despite the uncertai ... Show More
9m 30s
Jan 2023
Tanke schön: a breakthrough for Ukraine
This week Olaf Scholz confirmed that Germany will send 14 Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine and gave partner countries permission to send their tanks too. The decision, which could have a significant effect on the war, came after months of stalling. Megan Gibson in London, Katie ... Show More
34m 26s