German war thinking is growing. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told an American audience on May 9, “Germany is making national and collective defense its priority, which is a first since the Second World War.” This isn’t just talk. Germany is dramatically increasing its military budget. Postwar timidity is being replaced by revived militarism.

Pistorius is right: Germany hasn’t emphasized its military this way since the end of World War ii!

Last October, Pistorius told public broadcaster zdf: “We have to get used to the idea again that the danger of war could be looming in Europe. And that means we have to become fit for war. We have to be fit for defense. And get both the Bundeswehr and society ready for this.”

He said it’s not just the German military that needs to get ready for war—the German people do as well! Germany’s leaders are preparing their countrymen for very dark days ahead, when they will once again fight for the fatherland. This is indeed “a first since the Second World War”!

There has been, however, one leader who pushed to revive military thinking before war broke out on the European continent in 2022. His name is Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg. He could well be the man who leads Germany and the rest of Europe in this new age of militarism.

‘War’ in Afghanistan

In 2007, Der Spiegel wrote about Guttenberg’s first public impact. It revolved around the permanent troop deployment in embattled Afghanistan. At the time, Guttenberg served as the chairman of the Christian Social Union Foreign Policy Committee (2005–2008).

Calls were growing in the Social Democratic parliamentary group in the Bundestag not to extend the Bundeswehr mandate. Then Guttenberg, along with Hans-Ulrich Klose, proposed expanding the mission.

Instead of going along with popular opinion, Guttenberg—then only 35 years old—set out to change the mood in Germany. He didn’t want Germany restrained by its past of starting two world wars and earlier wars. He wanted a new Germany that acted with military confidence. Spiegel called this “a deliberate provocation” and “a breach of taboo.”

Guttenberg wrote a memorandum proposing efforts to increase public acceptance of the military effort. The following year, he told the Passauer Neue Presse that “a brilliant communicative achievement is still needed to get the population on board.”

Then he became defense minister. In this position, Guttenberg kept working to build more war thinking in the people.

“Our engagement in Afghanistan has for years been a combat operation,” he told Bild on Nov. 2, 2009. “But the feeling is—and not just among our troops—that the Taliban is waging a war against the soldiers of the international community.” This statement marked a turning point in Germany’s understanding of its military. No longer was it merely a defense force ready to confront an invasion. It was engaged in warfare abroad.

Guttenberg was like a political rock star at the time. Just about everybody thought he would be the next chancellor.

Transforming the Bundeswehr

As defense minister (2009–2011), Guttenberg made a major structural change: suspending compulsory military service. This drastically changed the military’s makeup.

After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, many people looked back on that decision as a mistake. It is important to understand why Guttenberg made it.

In recent interviews, Guttenberg has defended his decision. He said spending cuts were necessary, and the security situation at the time was different. Choosing between maintaining conscription and equipping the troops abroad, he chose the latter. This saved Germany billions of euros over the years. But it also reveals Guttenberg’s militaristic mindset.

As we wrote in 2018, “Guttenberg has a long-term view that goes beyond merely defending German borders from a worst-case-scenario Russian onslaught. His vision is for a globally deployed, well-trained German Army.”

The larger, conscripted army was intended to enable Germany to protect itself at home. But Guttenberg believed the nation’s security needed to be defended abroad, and he transformed the military from a defensive force into a professional offensive force.

Strongman Prophesied

Throughout history, Europeans and the German people in particular have looked for a strongman to lead them through crises. That is why Charlemagne, Otto the Great and Adolf Hitler came to power.

In our tumultuous world, Germany is again looking for a Charlemagne—and Guttenberg could fill this role. Germany doesn’t have another brilliant, charismatic leader like him. But the Bible reveals that it will get one.

Daniel 8:23 prophesies: “And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.”

We see the same prophecy in Isaiah 10:5-7, Habakkuk 1:5-11, Revelation 17 and other end-time passages. Our booklet A Strong German Leader Is Imminent will explain these prophecies to you.

Who will be this strongman of Europe, this king of fierce countenance, this modern-day Charlemagne? Watch Baron Guttenberg. It really seems he could fulfill this prophecy. He could be the strongman Europe wants!