Germany is finally boosting military spending and planning for a possible war with Russia, but infrastructure problems, industrial bottlenecks, and a public that does not want to fight could derail the effort.

• Chancellor Merz has pushed through a huge defense spending increase, with Germany now the world's fourth-largest military spender and aiming for 5% of GDP by 2035.
• Germany's main wartime role would be as a logistics hub moving 800,000 NATO troops east, under a plan called OpPlan DEU.
• Recent drills exposed serious weak spots — old bridges, crumbling roads, and a column that moved at walking speed.
• The defense industry cannot keep up with demand, procurement is tangled in red tape, and the Bundeswehr is short on troops despite a new pay-boost recruitment law.
• Most Germans expect war in Europe soon but only 1 in 10 say they would fight, and the far-right AfD wants better ties with Moscow.

Outlook: Germany will keep pouring money into defense, but unless infrastructure, industry, and public willingness catch up, the rearmament push may fall short of what NATO is counting on by 2029.