Speaking to an audience of Bundeswehr executives, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says the country is ready to take on a leading role in ensuring Europe's security. Vowing to transform the country's military in preparation for this role, Scholz says "politics, business and large sections of society were only too happy to believe this thesis (that Germany has been "surrounded by friends") and drew far-reaching conclusions from it." Haunted by two world wars, Germany has always trod lightly and quietly on the world stage when it came to conflicts and military matters. But Russia's invasion of Ukraine has prompted Scholz's government to tear up long held defence and foreign policies. Days after Russian soldiers marched into Ukraine, Scholz announced a 100-billion-euro ($100-billion) fund to beef up Germany's military defences and offset decades of chronic underfunding. The special fund for the Bundeswehr has since been written into the German constitution. Europe's biggest economy will also raise military spending to two percent of GDP after years of underinvestment that irked NATO partners. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES