HOW ISRAELI WEAPONS BECAME A PILLAR OF BERLIN'S REARMAMENT

Berlin relies on Israeli technology to rebuild its military amid growing threats.

- JOHN DOBSON

When German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced the Zeitenwende in February 2022—Germany’s historic turn toward rapid military rearmament—it signalled a seismic shift in a country long reluctant to reassert hard power.

But the political declaration was only the first step. Behind the scenes, German planners, lawmakers, and procurement officers confronted a difficult question: where to acquire the advanced systems needed to rebuild Europe's largest economy into a credible military force at speed.

Two years later, the answer has become increasingly clear. Germany is rebuilding its military with significant help from an unlikely but technologically indispensable partner: Israel. From missile defence to precision weapons to unmanned aircraft, Israeli systems now form a central, though not exclusive, pillar of Germany's rearmament strategy. The deepening defence relationship between the descendants of a genocidal regime and its victims, reflects Germany's growing urgency to protect itself and Europe from emerging threats, particularly from Russia, as well as Israel's unique position as a global leader in air and missile defence. The result is a defence partnership that is pragmatic, fast-moving, strategically vital—and politically delicate.

The most visible symbol of this shift is the Arrow 3 missile-defence system, built by Israel Aerospace Industries. In 2023 Berlin signed a €3.3 billion agreement, one of the largest defence contracts in Israeli history, to procure the long-range, exo-atmospheric interceptor designed to destroy ballistic missiles in space. The significance of this move is difficult to overstate. Arrow 3 is not merely another defence acquisition; it represents a strategic leap. Until recently, no European state possessed the capacity to intercept long-range ballistic missiles before they reentered the atmosphere. Israel, with decades of combat-tested experience, was the only country offering this capability at short notice.