French and German Leaders Talk About a ‘Real European Army’
French President Emmanuel Macron called for a “real European army” this week. The Times called it “his strongest language yet on the need for an independent defense force.” Typically European leaders have called for things like a “European defense initiative” rather than an army.
“We will not protect the Europeans unless we decide to have a true European army,” Mr. Macron said on November 6 while visiting the World War i battlefield of Verdun. “Faced with a Russia at our frontiers that has shown that she can be a threat, we need a Europe that defends itself better alone, without just depending on the United States.”
He also said, “We have to protect ourselves with respect to China, Russia and even the United States of America.”
And he’s not the only one talking this way.
Friedrich Merz is currently leading the race to succeed Angela Merkel as head of the Christian Democratic Union in Germany. This would presumably make him a contender to be Germany’s next chancellor. He is doing well in the polls and has the backing of senior party members.
On October 25, before Merkel announced that she would step down as leader of her party in December, Merz signed a letter alongside five other “leading German thinkers” that strongly supports an EU army.
Europeans, he said, “no longer need national armies.”
This man could soon become chancellor of Germany, although there’s still a lot of uncertainty. But it’s clear that leaders in Europe’s most important nations are openly pushing for a real European army.
At the same time, Germany is talking about arming Europe with nuclear weapons. Germany doesn’t want to have to rely on America any more for nuclear protection. An article in German Council on Foreign Relations magazine is the latest in a series of articles advocating for Germany to change Europe’s reliance on American nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, Bruno Tertrais, deputy director of the Paris Foundation for Strategic Research, discussed the same subject in the International Politics journal. He writes that France could “station part of its arsenal (for example, 10 missiles) in Germany or Poland.”
Calling for a European army is easy—actually putting it together is hard. But Europe has made important steps in this direction already.
Most of the Dutch Army is now under German command, serving in the German Army. Significant parts of the Czech and Romanian armies are in the same position.
The EU has several projects designed to serve as the basis for a real European army. Just this week, 10 EU leaders met in France as part of the European Intervention Initiative, which is designed to help these different nations work together and deploy quickly.
Herbert W. Armstrong warned of this military union for decades. In May 1953, he wrote, “Ten powerful European nations will combine their forces.” In August 1978, he warned, “Europeans want their own united military power! They know that a political union of Europe would produce a third major world power, as strong as either the U.S. or the ussr—possibly stronger!”
Mr. Armstrong based these prophecies on the Bible. Passages found in Daniel 2 and 7 and Revelation 13 and 17 describe a European power made up of 10 nations or groups of nations that will appear in this end time.
Revelation 17:12, for example, describes “ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.” This union of 10 kings is clearly a military union. The Bible says these kings shall “make war” (verse 14).
Many other passages warn of a great war-making power in this end time.
Europe has huge, untapped military potential. A united military could quickly transform it into this prophesied military combine. To learn more about this power, and God’s plan for it, read our Trends article “Why the Trumpet Watches Europe’s Push Toward a Unified Military.”
