to arm / upgrade
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to arm
To increase a country's military strength by acquiring or producing more weapons, soldiers, and equipment.
Als Reaktion auf die Bedrohung begann das Land, seine Armee massiv aufzurüsten.
In response to the threat, the country began to arm its army massively.
'Aufrüsten' (to arm / upgrade) is a separable verb. The prefix 'auf' separates from the verb stem 'rüsten' in a main clause and comes at the end of the sentence.
Die Firma rüstet ihre Computer auf.
The company is upgrading its computers.
The verb is based on 'rüsten' (to prepare / equip). The related noun is 'die Rüstung' (armor / armament), which refers to military equipment or weapons.
Die Ritter rüsteten sich für die Schlacht.
The knights prepared themselves for the battle.
You can recognize the meaning easily from context. If it is about the military, weapons, or politics, the military meaning is intended. If it is about computers, technology, or devices, the technical improvement is meant.
Die Spannungen führten dazu, dass beide Länder aufrüsteten.
The tensions led both countries to arm themselves.
If you want to state what something is upgraded with, use the preposition 'mit' followed by the dative. The pattern is: '(etwas) mit etwas aufrüsten' (to upgrade something with something).
Er hat sein Fahrrad mit besseren Bremsen aufgerüstet.
He upgraded his bike with better brakes.
to arm
'bewaffnen' and 'aufrüsten' both have to do with weapons and military strength. 'bewaffnen' means to equip a person or group with weapons, or to take up weapons oneself. So the focus is on the weapons of a person or group. 'aufrüsten' is used more for states or armies when their overall military strength increases, for example through more weapons, soldiers, or equipment. The words can be confused because both talk about weapons. 'bewaffnen' fits more directly with people, while 'aufrüsten' fits more with countries, armies, or large systems.
Das Land will seine Armee in den nächsten Jahren weiter aufrüsten.
The country wants to continue building up its army over the next few years.
Die Wachen wurden vor dem Einsatz bewaffnet.
The guards were armed before the operation.