Changes in Germany's defense policy after the Russian invasion of Ukraine

This bachelor thesis examines the development of German defense policy in response to ongoing changes in the international security environment, particularly in light of the Ukrainian crisis and the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. These events significantly influenced the European approach to international security and defense and created the need for Germany, as the leader of European states and an important member of NATO, to reassess its role and responsibility in the field of defense. The aim of the thesis is to analyze how the Russian invasion of Ukraine affected Germany's defense policy, focusing on the period after 2022. The bachelor thesis identifies key changes in the defense policy and security strategy of Germany and highlights the answers to the challenges of the current security environment. The paper asks several research questions, such as how Germany's emphasis on military security is changing in response to the crisis in Ukraine and how these changes are reflected in official documents such as the 2016 White Paper and the 2023 German Defense Policy Directive.