(CN) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, along with members of his cabinet, introduced the country’s first comprehensive national security strategy on Wednesday, highlighting Russia as a “significant threat to peace and security in the Euro-Atlantic area.”

As part of the plan, Germany has committed to strengthening its military, known as the Bundeswehr, to ensure greater protection of its citizens and the European Union. This includes adhering to the policies of the EU and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. With Germany increasing its share of GDP spent on the military to 1.6% this year, it is moving closer to meeting NATO’s 2% goal.

It is Germany’s latest effort to adapt to a situation where Europe is faced with a direct security threat after Russia invaded Ukraine last year. Reliant on the United States to protect it since the fall of the Soviet Union, Germany for decades practiced policies relying less on military power and more on foreign trade in hopes of limiting authoritarian rulers with peace and prosperity.

As a result, Germany became heavily dependent on Russian gas to meet the energy needs of itself and the EU, something that the country stopped importing during the war in Ukraine.

When several EU countries began providing military aid to Ukrainian forces, Berlin remained hesitant in the early stages and delayed sending weapons and tanks. But today, no other EU country has given more military equipment to Kyiv than Germany.

The change of times, or “Zeitenwende” as Scholz calls it, is marking the country’s new stance on global security issues. With Wednesday’s announcement of a national security strategy, Germany’s allies now have a clearer view of the country’s international security position in a variety of situations.

“What used to be limited to defense policy as a white paper now follows a much more comprehensive, systematic overall approach,” Scholz told reporters on Wednesday.

He pointed to three pillars that constitute Germany’s new strategy. The first is robust, concerning Germany’s ability to defend itself and its allies.

The second pillar is resilience, which covers the stability of society and the economy by defending against “illegitimate outside influence.” Here, improving cybersecurity is mentioned along with an aim to reduce one-sided dependence on raw materials and energy, like what happened with Russia.

The final pillar, sustainability, focuses on prevention to combat climate, biodiversity and ecosystem crises. Global pandemic prevention and strengthening global food security are part of the strategy.

“It’s not just about defense and the Bundeswehr,” Scholz said. It is “about the whole range of our security – via diplomacy as well as the police, fire brigade and technical aid organizations, via development cooperation, via cyber security and via the resilience of supply chains.”

Scholz’s government coined these overlapping themes “integrated security,” as it prompts all levels of government to work together to shape and strengthen Germany’s security in the future, not leaving too much power with a single department.

Wednesday’s announcement was a long wait for Germans, after the country’s coalition government agreed to form the strategy back in 2021. Internal disputes within the cabinet and a shifting safety situation in Europe kept delaying the new strategy, which should have taken just a year to make, according to German broadcaster Deutsche Welle.

China is also mentioned in the strategy, with Berlin viewing the Asian superpower as “a partner, competitor and systemic rival.” The plan states that competition has increased in recent years but acknowledges that cooperation with Beijing is necessary when it comes to solving “the most pressing global challenges.”

The German government is currently working on a specific strategy for China. It is unknown when it will be announced to the public.

Source: Courthouse News Service