The 5G security debate was all about Huawei. Now German lawmakers want to audit American technology too. Welcome to Zeitenwende applied to telecommunications.
German Greens and Left party members are calling for security reviews of American technology in Germany's 5G networks, according to Golem. The proposal marks a fundamental shift in how German security policy views allied technology.
For years, the debate over 5G network security centered on Chinese equipment. Washington pressed European allies to ban Huawei from telecommunications infrastructure, arguing Chinese law could compel the company to provide Beijing with access to network data. Many European countries, including Germany, eventually imposed restrictions on Chinese vendors.
The underlying logic was clear: you don't let a strategic competitor build your critical infrastructure. Technology from non-allied nations poses security risks because those nations' intelligence services could exploit access.
Now German lawmakers are asking: if that logic applies to China, why doesn't it apply to the United States?
The timing is not coincidental. President Donald Trump's threats against Greenland, tariff warnings against European allies, and explicit declarations that Europe can no longer rely on American security commitments have prompted fundamental reassessment of what "allied" means.
If the United States threatens territorial aggression against Denmark - a NATO ally - then American technology in German telecommunications networks stops looking like allied cooperation and starts looking like potential vulnerability.
The Zeitenwende - or "turning point" - was German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's term for Germany's post-Russia-invasion reorientation of defense and security policy. Initially it meant increased military spending and reduced Russian energy dependence. Now it's extending to telecommunications infrastructure and allied technology.
The proposal would subject American telecommunications equipment to the same security scrutiny that Germany applies to Chinese vendors. That means evaluating whether US intelligence services could exploit American-made network components, whether US law could compel American companies to provide data access, and whether reliance on American technology creates strategic vulnerability.
These are precisely the questions Germany asked about Huawei. Applying them to Cisco, Juniper Networks, and other American vendors represents a fundamental shift in how German security policy views the trans-Atlantic relationship.
The revelation that the NSA conducted extensive surveillance of German officials - including monitoring Chancellor Angela Merkel's phone - already demonstrated that allied status doesn't prevent intelligence collection. But the political will to confront American technology dominance was absent while the security relationship remained functional.
Trump's dismantling of that security relationship removes the political constraint. If Washington won't guarantee Europe's defense, why should Berlin trust American technology in German critical infrastructure?
The practical implications are significant. American companies dominate telecommunications infrastructure globally. Restricting US technology in German 5G networks would require either accepting reduced capability, accepting higher costs from European alternatives, or accepting strategic vulnerability from American access.
None of those options are attractive. But the same was true when Germany restricted Huawei - Chinese equipment was cheaper and more advanced than many European alternatives. Germany imposed restrictions anyway because security concerns outweighed economic benefits.
The Greens and Left parties are arguing the same logic should apply to American technology. If you ban Chinese vendors because Beijing might exploit access, you should scrutinize American vendors because Washington might do the same.
This represents the domestic political dimension of European strategic autonomy. It's one thing to talk about independent European defense. It's another to actually audit American technology in your telecommunications networks.
The proposal faces significant obstacles. Germany's coalition government includes parties more sympathetic to maintaining close trans-Atlantic ties. The business community will resist restrictions that increase costs or reduce technological options. And Washington will certainly object to being treated as a potential security threat equivalent to China.
But the fact that German lawmakers are even proposing this represents how fundamentally Trump's approach has shifted European political calculus. What was unthinkable three years ago - treating American technology as potential security risk - is now parliamentary debate.
Brussels decides more than you think. But increasingly, Berlin is deciding that "allied technology" requires the same security scrutiny as technology from strategic competitors. When your ally threatens your allies, trust erodes even in the network infrastructure.
Zeitenwende meant reevaluating Russia. Now it means reevaluating America too. The 5G networks are just the beginning.
