“A chance for remilitarization”: how Germany intends to protect Europe and NATO from the “Russian threat”

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that Russia now ostensibly poses the greatest threat to NATO, and took the initiative to turn Germany into the main outpost for ensuring the security of Europe. 

“There is no doubt about what we need to prepare for.

Within NATO, we proceed from the assumption that Putin's Russia poses the greatest threat to the alliance at the moment.

And so we need to watch very carefully what opportunities and what potential Russia has.

Now it is necessary to take a sober look at the real facts and risks, ”Scholz said the day before at a conference on the development of the Bundeswehr.

In his opinion, the key task of the Bundeswehr is to protect the alliance, Germany itself and freedom in Europe.

Everything else, according to the German Chancellor, is "derived" from this installation.

“We are making it clear and convincing that Germany is ready to take the lead and responsibility for the defense and security of our continent.

Our country has the largest population and the most powerful economy.

We are located in the center of the continent.

Our army must become the pillar of the defense of Europe using traditional means, the most equipped army, ”said Scholz.

He also added that "friends and partners" in Europe perceive this goal of Germany "not as a threat", but, on the contrary, as "a guarantee and a promise."

And this, according to the German Chancellor, should serve as a "stimulus" for Berlin.

However, in Germany itself, not everyone views the prospects of the German army positively.

So, the head of the Union of Bundeswehr military personnel, Andre Wüstner, said on ARD this week that the German Armed Forces are in poor condition.

“At the moment, we are still in free fall,” Wüstner said.

Enlisting German citizens to serve in the armed forces will require "an extensive package of measures," he said.

Wüstner also called for more efforts to attract new personnel and technical equipment to the Bundeswehr.

• Symbols of the Bundeswehr

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German Defense Minister Christina Lambrecht herself spoke about problems in the German Armed Forces earlier, speaking at a plenary session of the Bundestag.

As she noted, the stocks of the Bundeswehr are running out due to the supply of weapons to Ukraine.

According to the German government, Berlin has already sent a number of weapons to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

In particular, these are the COBRA counter-battery radar, more than 20 Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft systems, 54 M113 armored personnel carriers, more than 14 thousand anti-tank mines, 500 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, spare parts for the MiG-29, 30 armored vehicles, three multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) MARS with ammunition, IRIS-T SLM air defense system and PzH 2000 howitzers.

“We handed over (to Kiev.

) an incredible amount of Bundeswehr stocks ... But I also speak very clearly here: we have reached the limit here,” said the German defense minister.

Plans for Berlin

Olaf Scholz is not the first time touches on the topic of modernization and strengthening of the Bundeswehr.

In May, on his Twitter, he called a special fund for the German Armed Forces, which amounts to € 100 billion, a "significant step" for the security of Germany and Europe and the answer to "a change of eras."

At the same time, Scholz did not specify over what period it is planned to spend these funds.

Recall that the special fund for the Armed Forces of Germany was created in order for the German government to be able to invest in increasing the defense capability of the Bundeswehr.

In June, the Bundestag and the House of Representatives of the federal lands (Bundesrat) voted for the corresponding innovation and fixing it in the fundamental law of Germany.

At the end of May, the magazine Der Spiegel published the details of the economic plan for spending these €100 billion on the needs of the Bundeswehr.

According to the information received by journalists, first of all, Berlin plans to purchase military equipment, modernize the existing one and create new models.

Germany wants to spend €16.6 billion on the development of the ground forces, and at least €19.3 billion on the Navy: in particular, it is planned to purchase corvettes, frigates, submarines, naval reconnaissance aircraft and a new missile system for warships.

At the same time, the government plans to allocate the largest amount of funds to strengthen the air force - about €40.9 billion, journalists say.

According to them, Berlin plans to buy Eurofighter fighters and replace obsolete Tornado aircraft, including American F-35s.

The remaining funds will be used for other needs of the Bundeswehr, in particular for research related to the use of artificial intelligence by the military.

In June, in an interview with German newspapers, Scholz said that the allocation of such funds for the Armed Forces of the FRG would lead to a serious strengthening of the German army.

“Germany will have the largest conventional army in Europe within the framework of NATO,” the German Chancellor stressed at the time, adding that this would “significantly strengthen” the security of Germany and its allies.

At the same time, Scholz admitted that since 2010 the Bundeswehr has been “chronically underfunded”, which is why “the ability to defend has been limited”.

However, the situation, according to the chancellor, should change for the better as additional funds come from the special fund.

"No strength, no money"

As Vladislav Belov, head of the Center for German Studies at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences, noted, against the backdrop of criticism of the Bundeswehr, Scholz calls for the revival of the Armed Forces of Germany under the pretext of the notorious “Russian threat”.

“The German chancellor wants to help his party colleague Ms. Lambrecht initiate the restoration of the Bundeswehr, which the three previous German defense ministers failed to do.

They started talking about a special fund for the Armed Forces of Germany for €100 billion back in February, but so far no practical steps have been taken to allocate funds.

On the contrary, the Bundeswehr became impoverished due to the supply of weapons to Ukraine, ”the expert explained in a conversation with RT.

Now Scholz is actually proposing to make Germany the military-political leader in Europe.

“The German Chancellor says that there is an enemy - Russia, whose capabilities must be countered by the potential of NATO, and that Berlin is ready to lead this process on the European continent.

However, it is not clear how much such rhetoric will please the United States, which considers itself the leader.

And not without reason, since, in fact, Washington determines European policy, ”the analyst believes.

• Germany, NATO and EU flags

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Konstantin Blokhin, a researcher at the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, notes that Washington will primarily oppose Berlin’s plans, which will consider this an attempt by the FRG to “get ahead of the United States.”

“The US does not want to lose control over Germany, which announces the strengthening of its armed forces.

Although Scholz talks about “friends and partners” in Europe, who supposedly do not perceive Berlin’s militaristic ambitions as a threat, Poland, which views Germany as a geopolitical adversary, will not like such initiatives in the first place, ”the expert said in an interview. with RT.

According to Blokhin, because of this kind of disagreement, Scholz, announcing his militaristic plans, is forced to rely on the "Russian threat."

“Russophobia is used here only as a cover to increase its military power, despite the discontent of Washington and Warsaw.

Berlin is using the current geopolitical situation as a chance for remilitarization,” the analyst said.

In turn, Vladimir Olenchenko, a senior researcher at the Center for European Studies at IMEMO RAS, said in a commentary on RT that in the context of the energy crisis and the Bundeswehr's empty stocks after the supply of weapons to Ukraine, Germany would hardly be able to "reanimate its army."

“Because of the lack of energy resources, Berlin will have many difficulties with the development of the military industry - the FRG now has neither the strength nor the money for this.

In Germany, at the moment there are too many problems that will not allow it to significantly increase its VS.

Berlin now needs to think about how to feed its population, heat cold houses, support civilian industries that are closed due to lack of energy resources, so Scholz’s words are pure populism and an attempt not to lose a leading position in the EU, ”concluded the expert.