(SeaPRwire) –   By: Julian Holbrooke

Seven out of 10 Germans don’t think their armed forces can protect their homeland. That’s not just a domestic policy blip—it’s a crack in the foundation of Western collective defense. For decades, Germany has hidden behind NATO’s umbrella, letting other members pick up the defense tab. This poll lays bare how that quiet consensus has completely shattered.

The raw official data from the YouGov International Flagship Survey is stark. Pollsters questioned 2,079 German adults between June 17 and July 1. Seven in 10 said they lacked confidence in their armed forces’ ability to protect the country from attack. Forty percent of respondents agreed Germany spends too little on defense. But even with that recognition, 77% opposed higher taxes for defense, 62% rejected cuts to public services, and 59% opposed more government borrowing. The government has announced plans to expand active-duty troops from 183,000 to 260,000, with reserves growing to 200,000, citing the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

But the poll’s full context reveals the geopolitical tightrope Germany is walking. It had the lowest confidence level of the seven nations surveyed. Poland saw 57% of respondents doubtful, Britain and Australia at 53%, Canada at 48%. France had 52% confident, and the US hit 77% confidence. This comes as Trump renewed threats to withdraw from NATO after members skipped the US-Israeli Iran campaign. He’s called NATO a paper tiger and pressed members to hit the 2% GDP defense spending target. Moscow has condemned German militarization, with Putin saying Russia won’t attack a NATO member first. Germany’s economy is already strained by high energy prices and the cost-of-living crisis, made worse by cutting Russian energy supplies and the Middle East war.

The Western alliance’s biggest security flaw right now isn’t foreign adversaries—it’s the growing chasm between NATO’s demands and the public will of its largest European member.

Author bio: Julian Holbrooke, an overseas international relations analyst who frequently contributes to major European daily newspapers.