How effective is the German army?

There are doubts over whether the German military could help out its allies if push came to shove.

Dear Reader,

Just how capable is the German army of contributing to the collective defence of Nato members against a Russian attack?

At this stage it is unclear just what Putin’s wider intentions are. Does the invasion of Ukraine signal that Moscow sees the entire former Soviet space - including the NATO members in the Baltic - as its natural backyard? Would it contemplate military action against Poland or other neighbouring countries? Or are Russia’s goals limited to creating a puppet regime in Kyiv and ensuring Ukraine never joins the west European economic sphere?

None of this is clear. Indeed, given the multiple failures of the Russian military in Ukraine thus far, questions have been raised about the Kremlin’s ability to wage a wider war.

Nonetheless, the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have been pushing for a stronger NATO presence on their territory to ensure that they have a plausible deterrence against such an invasion.

"Deterrence is no longer enough and we need fo…