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March 27, 2026
'Let's combine German efficiency and Australian optimism to build a more stable world'
Germany's Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has urged Australia to have "the courage and the resolve" to rapidly boost defence spending, as he declared Berlin could become the first foreign buyer of Australia's Ghost Bat drone.
Mr Pistorius, in Canberra on Thursday, lashed the Iran war as a "catastrophe" that could have been avoided, accusing the Trump administration of starting the conflict without an exit strategy.
He said with the US now a less predictable ally, nations that had long-depended on American power needed to "wake up" and be able to defend themselves.
Mr Pistorius said Germany had responded to the challenge, amending its constitution to lift its defence budget to 3.5 per cent of GDP by 2029 well above Australia's 2 per cent of GDP and Labor's 2.3 per cent target by 2033-24.
He said it was not for Germany to tell Australia how much to spend on defence but "what you certainly need like we do, too is really the courage and the resolve to speed up as quickly as possible".
Mr Pistorius, who will on Friday get a briefing on the Boeing Australia-designed MQ-28A Ghost Bat at RAAF base Amberley, near Brisbane, confirmed that Germany was considering purchasing the drone.
The aircraft, which is being developed with $2.4bn of taxpayer funds, is considered one of the most advanced "loyal wingman" prototypes now available following a live weapons test last year.
Berlin is also considering a competitor drone from Airbus, and another from German defence start-up Helsing, whose CA-1 Europa drone looks like a carbon copy of the Ghost Bat.
"We are comparing, we have our experts, we have our companies there, and we (will) decide then, in time," Mr Pistorius said.
He said Germany needed high end drones like the Ghost Bat, together with low-cost alternatives like those being used by Iran and Russia.
"We need a reasonable and healthy picture of both," he said.
Mr Pistorius and Defence Minister Richard Marles committed to establishing a status of forces agreement to streamline bilateral military co-operation, and pledged to work more closely together to counter space-based threats. German arms company TDW will also sign a commitment on Friday to support the Albanese government's guided weapons program by supplying and maintaining warheads for two types of missiles produced in Australia.
The minister, who is tipped as a future German leader, said it was vital for middle powers to "stick together" in a more dangerous world.
"Germans are notorious for their efficiency. Australians are at least known for their optimistic attitude towards lives. Let's combine German efficiency and Australian optimism to build a more stable world," he said.
Mr Pistorius said the West's missile stockpiles had been severely depleted by the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and they needed to be replenished urgently.
"When we have a look into the Middle East and we see that the Gulf states used more interceptors, Patriots for example, in just a couple of weeks than Ukraine (used) in more than four years.
"And we see that we have a capacity problem in the industry, and that, of course, occurs in many other fields of defence industry production too."
Mr Marles said Australia was keen to partner with German defence companies, declaring there was "nothing more capable than German engineering".
When challenged by a German reporter, he defended the Albanese government's decision to select a Japanese design over a German alternative for Australia's future general purpose frigates.
"In respect to the frigates, we make decisions based on our particular capability needs, but it's not a reflection of the quality of German frigates, which obviously are of the highest quality," he said.
"It was a particular capability need that we had and that led to the choice that we made."
Mr Pistorius's call for more urgency on military spending comes amid growing pressure on the Albanese government to rethink its defence funding trajectory ahead of the May budget in light of the huge numbers of missiles and drones being expended in the Middle East and Ukraine wars.
Opposition defence spokesman James Paterson said Labor needed to take a leaf out of the German playbook.
"Australia should heed the advice of our German friend because they know better than most what happens when your strategic picture changes overnight," he said.
"Defence industry is not just a light switch that can be activated on demand.
"If you fail to invest in a preconflict environment it is not there when you need it," Senator Paterson said.
"We don't want to have the regrets our European partners have experienced after Russia invaded Ukraine if conflict occurs in our neighbourhood in the future."