UK and Germany military chiefs issue rare joint call to rearm

Monday 16 February 2026 - 14:50

By: Dakir Madiha

UK and Germany military chiefs issue rare joint call to rearm

The heads of the British and German armed forces have issued an unprecedented joint appeal urging European citizens to back higher defense spending, warning that Moscow’s military stance has decisively shifted westward and that deterring Russian aggression will require difficult public choices.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, the United Kingdom’s Chief of the Defence Staff, and General Carsten Breuer, Germany’s Chief of Defence, published a joint letter on Saturday in The Guardian and the German newspaper Die Welt. They said they were speaking not only as leaders of two of Europe’s largest military spenders, but as representatives of a continent that must confront uncomfortable realities about its security.

In their letter, the two commanders framed increased military investment as a moral responsibility rather than a provocation. Rearmament, they wrote, is not an invitation to war but a necessary step for nations determined to safeguard their populations and preserve peace. Strength, they argued, deters aggression, while weakness invites it.

They warned that Russia is rebuilding its armed forces and drawing lessons from the war in Ukraine, reorganizing in ways that heighten the risk of confrontation with NATO countries. Moscow’s military expansion, combined with its demonstrated willingness to wage war in Europe, as seen in Ukraine, poses an elevated threat that demands collective attention, they said.

According to CNN, the defense chiefs acknowledged that increasing military budgets could come at the expense of other public services, effectively reversing the so called peace dividends enjoyed by many European countries since the end of the Cold War. They argued that public support will be essential if governments are to meet new security commitments.

The letter called for a whole of society approach to defense, emphasizing that security cannot rest solely with uniformed personnel. Resilient infrastructure, advanced research and development from the private sector, and national institutions capable of operating under growing threats are all necessary components of modern defense, they wrote.

Their appeal followed the Munich Security Conference, where German Chancellor Friedrich Merz cautioned that Europe’s freedom can no longer be taken for granted and that citizens must be prepared to make sacrifices. NATO members agreed at the 2025 Hague Summit to raise defense spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product by 2035, with 3.5 percent allocated to core military expenditures and 1.5 percent to broader security related spending.

Both countries have paired rhetoric with concrete measures. The United Kingdom recently launched Operation Firecrest, deploying a carrier strike group led by HMS Prince of Wales to the North Atlantic and Arctic regions in response to increased Russian activity. Germany has repositioned forces closer to its eastern frontier, permanently stationing a 5,000 strong armored brigade in Lithuania. British Defence Secretary John Healey said the deployment would help ensure the country is prepared for combat if required.

The joint intervention by the British and German military chiefs underscores a growing consensus among European defense leaders that the continent faces a more volatile security environment, one that may demand sustained financial and political commitment from governments and citizens alike.