The German government has presented a military strategy for the Bundeswehr. The world has become more dangerous, said Defense Minister Pistorius. He pointed to Russia, which is already carrying out sabotage, as the main threat.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius presented the new strategy for the German armed forces in the uncertain global situation. The strategy includes a comprehensive defense concept as well as plans for the army's reservists.
"The world has become more unpredictable – and it must be said that more dangerous," Pistorius said, referring to Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine and the crises around the world. The military strategy now provides the "necessary clarity" that we need in view of the threat, he explained. "We all have to come to terms with the fact that peace and freedom, prosperity and tolerance are no longer something that is taken for granted, but must be defended, and that means we have to be able to defend them,” the German defense minister also said.
The main threat - Russia
The program documents clearly state that the Ministry of Defense considers Russia to be the main threat. According to them, Russia "through its armament, it is preparing for a military conflict with NATO and considers the use of military force as a legitimate instrument for enforcing its interests".
Russia fundamentally views the West as hostile and presents the accession of democratic countries to NATO as "encirclement". Russia is also deliberately relying on "hybrid means": espionage, acts of sabotage, cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns are no longer peripheral phenomena, the strategy also says. Combating them has become a permanent task. The Russian leadership wants to weaken NATO cohesion and achieve the separation of the United States from Europe. The goal is the failure of NATO and the expansion of Russia's sphere of influence in Europe, the German Defense Ministry continues in its assessment.
460,000 soldiers for defense
The overall concept consists of two parts: to the military strategy drawn up for the first time, a so-called capability profile is added, which determines the composition, structure and size of the armed forces for the future, explains the ARD.
The details in the documents are confidential. It is clear that the Bundeswehr must become larger and more maneuverable. By 2035, the number of active servicemen must reach 260,000, and the number of reservists – 200,000. A total of at least 460,000 soldiers should be able to resist possible aggression from Russia together with the allies.
"We are turning the Bundeswehr into the strongest conventional army in Europe", declared Pistorius. "In the short term, we will increase our defense capability and resilience, in the medium term we are aiming for a significant expansion of our capabilities, and in the long term, we will achieve technological superiority." After decades of cuts in spending on the armed forces, Germany has eased the "debt brake" enshrined in the Constitution to significantly increase defense spending.