Den Beste pokes a little fun at the Germans:
To head off criticism (especially in light of German promises of contributions to a new NATO rapid reaction force) they're preemptively trying to sell this idea that they can reduce the money spent while at the same time increasing their capability.
Wait a minute wasn't that the Clinton two theater theory....they cut spending and closed facilities while expanding the military mission.
Still, this suggests that the German political system is in deep crisis. You can tell that's true with any government when it faces really serious problems, and the only solutions it can propose don't pass the horse-laugh test.
Yeppers...that was those merry Clinton pranksters awright.