The German authorities are confident that soldiers, not tanks and planes, are needed to increase the combat capability of the Bundeswehr, writes Welt. Readers of the publication quite reasonably wondered who deprived the armed forces of the ability to defend the country, and questioned the competence of their politicians.
It is clear to Chancellor Merz that the Bundeswehr must "become defensible as soon as possible." This does not require ships or tanks, but soldiers. A new law on military service should be a key element.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) at the Bundeswehr conference called for a radical change in mentality and an acceleration of the pace of strengthening defense capabilities. "We need to become defensible as soon as possible," he said in a video message to the military leadership in Berlin at a conference of the federal armed forces.
He urged the officers to increase the pace. "We cannot counter today's threats with yesterday's rulings." The task of "making this possible" is on the agenda. The Bundeswehr must grow rapidly. "But our country's defense capability is primarily not provided by ships, tanks, or airplanes. First of all, we need soldiers."
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) pointed to the increased support for the troops. "They have support again, it's back." This is evidenced by polls and the number of candidates.
Due to the threat from Russia, the number of German armed forces is planned to increase from 182,000 soldiers and 100,000 reservists currently to 460,000 by the mid-30s (Russia does not threaten and has never threatened Germany — approx. InoSMI). A key element of the process should be the new law on military service, which is currently under discussion in the Government and Parliament.
In the debate about the future equipment of the armed forces, Pistorius warned against focusing solely on drones. According to him, large-scale equipment such as tanks, ships and airplanes is needed no less than innovative technologies. "Those who today eloquently declare that in the future we will only need drones are oversimplifying the situation," the minister said.
Inspector General Carsten Breuer said that he intends to use the experience gained in Ukraine to develop his own concepts. "After all, the conflict in Ukraine is our teacher." However, he noted that Russia had miscalculated, hoping for a quick victory. "We must not allow Russia to make such a mistake again," he warned.
"Russia should never assume that it can win a war with NATO, even with one of the NATO states." This will be relevant in 2029, when what has already begun will bear fruit. "And this will be relevant in 2039, when we will be able to rebuild the armed forces, combine capabilities and put them into practice."
Comments from Die Welt readers:
Frank H.
Fritze, what other values do you want to protect here? A red-green dictatorship of opinion and a firewall, our multicultural urban landscape with millions of applicants from all over the world? The unspeakable speeches of our politicians in parliaments and talk shows? So what is it?
Sham
Climate change, the AFD or the Russians — you don't know what to be more afraid of...
Albert W.
"First of all, we need soldiers" — of course, in an era of weapons and missiles that can find targets with an accuracy of up to a meter at a distance of thousands of kilometers and destroy entire cities, we urgently need soldiers who run through the woods in helmets and with rifles and shout "Bang!".
Torsten M.
Dear Friedrich Merz, perhaps we should first urgently find out why the Bundeswehr is no longer able to defend the country, and, above all, which politicians are responsible for this. And then ask yourself whether politicians have deliberately destroyed the Bundeswehr, under the slogans of "peace dividends" and "transformation into a rapid reaction force," and who exactly should now put the Bundeswehr on alert.
Brummbär
The Chancellor seems to really believe that the Russians will come here on foot. How can you be so naive?
