26. June 2025

Security strategy: Why Germany is struggling with this issue. Guest commentary by Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schlie in "Handelsblatt" Guest commentary by Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schlie in "Handelsblatt" about Germany's security strategy

After reunification, Berlin was slow to embrace its new role within the global security architecture and continued to treat all military matters as taboo. Now, foreign and security policy go hand in hand. The continued solidarity of the alliance within NATO is currently being called into question, which is why Europe—and Germany in particular—must address the issue of how European security can be maintained without the support of the US.

Sicherheitsstrategie: Warum Deutschland sich damit so schwertut
Sicherheitsstrategie: Warum Deutschland sich damit so schwertut © CASSIS
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Germany needs to fundamentally rethink its security policy. The “turning point” has led to military support for Ukraine, but it has not sparked a fundamental change in mentality. For much of the post-war period, Germany has acted as if strategic upheavals in the global security architecture had only a secondary impact on it.

Foreign and security policy in Germany continue to be viewed as largely independent of one another. Military strategy doesn't play a role in diplomatic training, and operational history is neglected in the training of the armed forces. Considerations regarding a German National Security Council, which could unite both policy areas, have not yet been implemented.

The prerequisite for strategic action is a clearly defined goal, which is defined, for example, in the preamble to Germany's Basic Law (Grundgesetz): “to serve world peace in a united Europe.” This means that national interests must be reconciled with the preservation of world peace and international security.

Zum Gastkommentar im Handelsblatt

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schlie is a historian, political scientist and, since 2020, Director of the Center for Advanced Security, Strategic and Integration Studies (CASSIS) and Henry Kissinger Professor for Security and Strategy Research at the Institute for Political Science at the University of Bonn

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