The Eurofighter Typhoon is Germany’s premier front-line jet fighter. This week, Der Spiegel reported that just four of the Luftwaffe’s 128 Typhoons are combat ready. You read that right: four. Also, not one of the German Navy’s six submarines is in a condition to put to sea, and only 95 of its 244 battle tanks are operational. At this point, Luxembourg could probably conquer Germany.
Should anyone seriously care that Germany, with the world’s fourth-largest economy, would be unable to defend itself in the event of war, much less fulfill its treaty obligations to NATO? Not if all you can think about is how Donald Trump is going to squirm out of one potentially incriminating lie by inventing another.
But Vladimir Putin undoubtedly cares, and so does Trump. It’s a toxic combination.
Germany’s persistent, deliberate military weakness is a reminder of just how unprepared much of the world is for the continued unraveling of global order, characterized by two pronounced trends: emboldened dictatorships and risk-averse, inward-looking democracies.
About the former: Bashar al-Assad continues to advance against his opponents in Syria, despite last month’s feckless U.S. missile strikes. The Kremlin reportedly intends to supply Assad with advanced antiaircraft systems to defend against Israeli attacks. Israel is bracing for war with Iran and its militant proxies in Lebanon, even while it is being savaged in the media for defending its border fence with Gaza.
