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The internal document seen by Reuters, titled "Directive Priorities for the Bolstering of Readiness" and signed on May 19, outlines a detailed roadmap to prepare Germany’s armed forces over the next five years.

The directive reflects shared assessments by Breuer and NATO officials that Russia may have rebuilt its military enough to pose a direct threat to the alliance’s borders. Funding for the plan will come from the loosening of Germany’s "debt brake" in March, which allows additional defense spending

The document sets acquisition priorities that align with NATO’s recommendations. Chief among them is strengthening Germany’s air defenses, with particular emphasis on countering drones. NATO is expected to ask Berlin to at least quadruple its air defense systems, ranging from long-range platforms such as the Patriot to short-range interceptors

In addition to bolstering aerial defenses, the directive calls for capabilities to conduct deep precision strikes against targets more than 500 kilometers away. Breuer also emphasized the urgency of replenishing Germany’s ammunition stockpiles and increasing stockpiling targets across all ammunition types.

Other key areas for development include enhancing electronic warfare systems and building a robust set of both offensive and defensive capabilities in space.