BERLIN — The German cabinet approved legislation on July 1, 2025, to strengthen the military reserve and accelerate Bundeswehr infrastructure construction. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius addressed tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump, stating: "Refusing a little kiss can happen even in the best relationships - incidentally, also unintentionally. This is truly no marriage crisis."

The newly approved legislation abolishes the principle of dual voluntariness for reservists, which previously required consent from both employers and reservists for call-ups. Under the new law, participation in military training becomes mandatory for reservists, no longer requiring employer consent. Reservists can now be called up in crisis situations, including hybrid threats, even without a formal state of defense. German authorities aim to increase the number of reservists to at least 200,000 by 2033, while the active-duty army is projected to grow to 260,000 soldiers by the same year. The German Infrastructure Acceleration Act amends 10 laws to speed up infrastructure processes for the Bundeswehr.

Pistorius said he was unaware of what kind of military support the United States would like from Germany. He noted that one gets used to the U.S. government's tone being "a little rougher" during disagreements. Pistorius said efforts to strengthen the Bundeswehr were made out of "personal conviction - for the security of Germany and NATO partners," and not in the hope of winning Trump's affection.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte attended the German Cabinet's weekly session at the Defence Ministry in Berlin on July 2, 2025, where he praised Germany's contributions to the Western alliance. "Germany leads and Germany delivers," Rutte said. He highlighted the German-Dutch corps taking command of NATO's land forces in Estonia and Latvia, the deployment of a German armored brigade in Lithuania, German airspace surveillance on NATO's eastern flank, and the German navy's protection of critical infrastructure. Rutte also noted Berlin's support for Ukraine and Germany's increase in defense spending. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated: "This is what is needed in a global situation in which we, as Europeans, must and want to take responsibility quickly and decisively for our freedom, our security and also our prosperity."