Germany looks to reinvent warfare with spy cockroaches
The outlet spoke to two dozen executives, investors, and policymakers to examine how the EU's largest economy aims to play a central role in the rearming of the continent.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz recently announced plans to increase Germany's overall military budget to €153 billion ($180 billion) by 2029, up from €86 billion this year. He pledged to allocate 3.5% of GDP to defense under a new NATO framework to counter what he called a direct threat from Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed Western concerns about Russian aggression as 'nonsense,' accusing NATO of using fear to justify increasing military budgets.
According to Reuters sources, Merz's government views AI and start-up technology as critical to its plans. This week, the cabinet approved a draft procurement law designed to streamline the process for startups developing cutting-edge technologies, from tank-like robots and unmanned mini-submarines to surveillance cockroaches. The law aims to help such companies quickly contribute to the modernization of Germany's armed forces.
Публикация от Cerebral Overload (@cbrovld)
Startups like Munich-based Helsing, which specializes in AI and drone technology, alongside established defense contractors such as Rheinmetall and Hensoldt, are now leading Germany's military innovation, the article said.
Critics of the German government's policies warn that continued military spending could strain the national budget and further damage the country's industry, already burdened by rising energy costs, the fallout from sanctions on Russia, and trade tensions with the US.
Germany has been the second-largest arms supplier to Kiev since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, surpassed only by the US. Russia has consistently denounced Western weapons deliveries, saying they prolong the conflict and risk escalating tensions. Moscow has warned that Berlin's policies could lead to a new armed conflict with Russia, decades after the end of World War II.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
16 hours ago
- Russia Today
Vucic says no to EU bargain over Moscow
Belgrade will not impose sanctions on Russia under any circumstances, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Saturday, rejecting remarks by his government minister, who suggested the country could align with EU policy in exchange for faster membership talks. However, Belgrade will not betray its principles in pursuit of some short-term gains, Vucic added. According to the president, Serbia would continue to seek good relations with both Russia and the EU as this policy 'has proven to be correct so far.' 'It is the policy of the independent and sovereign state of Serbia,' he said. The president also called EU Integration Minister Nemanja Starovic's words 'careless' and maintained that some media at home and abroad were just too quick to jump to conclusions. 'Serbia will not impose sanctions on the Russian Federation,' Vucic stated. Speaking to the Austrian news agency APA earlier this week, Starovic said that Belgrade opposes sanctions against Russia because they 'would not affect Russia at all' but would hit the Serbian economy 'on a massive scale.' He maintained that Serbia would be ready to fully comply with Brussels' policies once 'EU membership is in sight.' Serbia remains one of the few European countries that has refused to impose sanctions on Russia or openly side with Ukraine in the ongoing conflict. Vucic had previously stated that the EU has pressured Belgrade to abandon its neutral stance and sever ties with Moscow. In May, Vucic became one of the few European leaders to attend the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow. The Serbian president, along with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, visited Russia despite facing significant pressure from Brussels. During the visit, he reaffirmed Belgrade's commitment to long-term energy cooperation with Russia following a meeting with President Vladimir Putin.
Russia Today
19 hours ago
- Russia Today
Tehran's new war plan: Build an anti-NATO
What if the next global security pact wasn't forged in Brussels or Washington – but in Beijing, with Iran at the table? This is no longer a theoretical question. At the mid-July meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers in China, Iran made it clear: Tehran now views the SCO not just as a regional forum, but as a potential counterweight to NATO. In doing so, it signaled a profound strategic pivot – away from an outdated Western-dominated system and toward an emerging Eurasian order. The summit highlighted the increasing resilience of multilateral Eurasian cooperation in the face of growing global turbulence. Russia was represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who also met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping – an encounter that underscored the strength of the Moscow-Beijing axis. On the sidelines, Lavrov held bilateral meetings with the foreign ministers of China, Pakistan, India, and notably, Iran. His talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi focused on diplomatic solutions to the nuclear issue and emphasized deepening strategic coordination. The Iranian side used the platform with purpose. Araghchi expressed his appreciation for the SCO's solidarity amid Israeli aggression and stressed that Iran views the organization not as symbolic, but as a practical mechanism for regional unity and global positioning. India's full participation also contradicted predictions in Western circles that geopolitical tensions would paralyze the SCO. Instead, New Delhi reaffirmed its commitment to the platform. The implication is clear: unlike NATO, where unity depends on compliance with a central authority, the SCO has proven flexible enough to accommodate diverse interests while building consensus. For Russia, the SCO remains a cornerstone of its Eurasian strategy. Moscow serves as a balancing force – linking China with South and Central Asia, and now, with an assertive Iran. Russia's approach is pragmatic, multi-vector, and geared toward creating a new geopolitical equilibrium. The heart of the summit was Abbas Araghchi's speech – an assertive and legally grounded critique of Israeli and American actions. He cited Article 2, Section 4 of the UN Charter, denounced attacks on Iran's IAEA-monitored nuclear facilities, and invoked Resolution 487 of the UN Security Council. His message: Western aggression has no legal cover, and no amount of narrative control can change that. But beyond condemnation, Araghchi delivered a concrete roadmap to strengthen the SCO as a vehicle for collective security and sovereignty: A collective security body to respond to external aggression, sabotage, and terrorism A permanent coordination mechanism for documenting and countering subversive acts A Center for Sanctions Resistance, to shield member economies from unilateral Western measures A Shanghai Security Forum for defense and intelligence coordination Enhanced cultural and media cooperation to counter cognitive and information warfare These are not rhetorical gestures – they are blueprints for institutional transformation. Iran is operationalizing a new security doctrine built on multipolarity, mutual defense, and resistance to hybrid threats. While NATO is structured around a rigid hierarchy dominated by Washington, the SCO embodies a post-hegemonic vision: sovereignty, equality, and civilizational plurality. Its member states represent over 40% of the global population, possess vast industrial capacities, and share a collective desire to break the unipolar mold. Tehran's bet is clear: the SCO offers not just a geopolitical shelter, but a platform for advancing a new global logic – one rooted in strategic autonomy, not dependency. The sophistication and clarity of Araghchi's initiatives suggest that Tehran is preparing for the long game. Behind closed doors, the summit likely featured discussions – formal and informal – about deepening SCO institutionalism, perhaps even rethinking the organization's mandate. Araghchi made that vision explicit: 'The SCO is gradually strengthening its position on the world stage... It must adopt a more active, independent, and structured role.' That's diplomatic code for institutional realignment. The Western response was immediate. Within days of Iran's proposals, the EU imposed new sanctions on eight individuals and one Iranian organization – citing vague claims of 'serious human rights violations.' Israel, by contrast, faced no new penalties. It is geopolitical signaling. Tehran's push to turn the SCO into an action-oriented bloc is seen in Brussels and Washington as a direct threat to the current order. The more coherent and proactive the SCO becomes, the harsher the pressure will grow. But that pressure proves Iran's point. The rules-based order is no longer rules-based – it is power-based. For countries like Iran, the only path to sovereignty is through multilateral defiance and integration on their own terms. Iran is not improvising. It is positioning itself as a co-architect of a post-Western security order. Its vision for the SCO goes beyond survival – it is about shaping an international system where no single bloc can dominate through sanctions, information warfare, or coercive diplomacy. This strategy has implications far beyond Tehran. If the SCO embraces Iran's proposals and begins to institutionalize them, we could be witnessing the early formation of the 21st-century's first true alternative to NATO. The West may dismiss this as fantasy – but in Eurasia, the future is already being drafted. And this time, it's not happening in English.
Russia Today
20 hours ago
- Russia Today
Austria may abandon neutrality for NATO
Austria should be ready to discuss its potential membership in NATO, Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger has said. She acknowledged, however, that joining is unlikely to gain major public or parliamentary support at this stage. In an interview with Die Welt published on Saturday, Meinl-Reisinger spoke about what she described as 'an increasingly aggressive Russia,' which she claims is reluctant to conclude a peace deal with Ukraine. Moscow has maintained it is open to dialogue, but insisted that any settlement must take into account its key security concerns, including that Kiev agree to permanently stay out of NATO. According to Meinl-Reisinger, 'neutrality alone does not protect us.' She explained that Austria should invest not only in 'defense capabilities,' but also in military partnerships. 'I am fundamentally very open to a public debate' about Austria's future in this field, she said, adding: 'While there is currently no majority in parliament or among the population for NATO membership, such a debate can nevertheless be very fruitful.' DETAILS TO FOLLOW
