Ursula von der Leyen thus embraced the idea of a united European Union armed force earlier floated by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
"Such intertwining of the militaries with an eye to establishing a European army is a very viable idea that looks to the future,” the minister told Deutschlandrundfunk radio on Sunday.
Jean-Claude Juncker earlier said that with such an armed force in place, the EU would be able to adequately respond to threats posed to both member states and neighboring countries.
Russia has repeatedly warned about the unprecedented uptick in NATO’s military activity in Europe coming against the backdrop of the ongoing armed conflict in eastern Ukraine.
