Germany in February 2026: the most important developments in security
Germany in February 2026 was shaped by the debate over European nuclear deterrence. At the Munich Security Conference on 13 February, European leaders discussed the idea of a European nuclear shield, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz calling for a stronger Europe and a reset with the United States and French President Emmanuel Macron taking part. Merz rejected stationing nuclear weapons in Germany while calling for a stronger military and a return to conscription. Germany and France began strategic talks on nuclear deterrence cooperation, while Germany's defense minister criticized French defense spending as insufficient. The New START treaty between the United States and Russia expired on 5 February.
The second theme was military procurement and readiness. Macron defended the Franco-German FCAS fighter jet project as Merz and Airbus floated a two-fighter option, and Germany was reported to be considering more F-35 jets, which the government said it had no plans to order. On 25 February the parliament's budget committee approved kamikaze drones for the Bundeswehr, and on 26 February parliament passed a law widening the military's powers against drones, including the use of such drones. Ukrainian soldiers are to train German troops in drone warfare. Germany plans to station 5,000 troops and 105 Leopard tanks in Lithuania by 2027, and the military was reported to be preparing for possible conscription for that brigade.
Abroad, Germany reduced its military presence in northern Iraq, pulling out several hundred soldiers from the Erbil region, and on 19 February was reported to have withdrawn its troops from Iraq, citing Middle East tensions. On 28 February Israel and the United States carried out attacks on Iran; Germany convened a crisis team and Hesse raised security at Jewish sites.
At home, the domestic intelligence agency was reported on 17 February to have classified the AfD as a suspected extremist organization, and on 26 February a court blocked the service from treating the party that way. Authorities also arrested an AfD lawmaker in Saxony on suspicion of embargo violations and warned of increased Iranian espionage targeting the Bundeswehr.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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