Opinion | Why Germany isn’t pouring money into defense

One can sympathize with the June 7 editorial condemning Germany for backtracking on pledges to increase defense spending and improve its military readiness, “To help deter Russia, Germany needs to bulk up.” After all, it’s not as if Berlin doesn’t have the financial means to do so.

But frustration aside, we shouldn’t be surprised about Germany’s behavior. For one, Germany doesn’t have an incentive to pour more money into its defenses. Germany hosts more than 30,000 U.S. forces, is fortunate to have a security guarantee from the United States and is surrounded by peaceful neighbors. Why invest more when the world’s predominant power vows to protect you?