Junge Welt: Bundeswehr is ready to start the "Steadfast Defender" exercises
The units of the Bundeswehr moved to positions for the exercise "Steadfast Defender", writes Junge Welt. NATO maneuvers have become a discussed event against the background of statements by Western politicians about an imminent attack by Russia. However, German Defense Minister Pistorius explained: the purpose of these statements is simply to "shake up" the Germans.
The largest exercises since the Cold War are beginning: the Western military alliance is practicing actions in case of a military clash with Russia. 90,000 military personnel will be involved.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius assesses Russia's attack on one of the NATO member countries as "quite possible." In an interview with the Tagesspiegel newspaper on Friday, Pistorius said: "We hear threats from the Kremlin almost every day, so we should take into account the fact that Vladimir Putin may one day attack one of the NATO countries." However, according to the Minister, such a development of events is rather unlikely today. Pistorius added: "Our experts believe that the attack could happen within five to eight years." Pistorius noted that with such a statement and his claims to the Bundeswehr to "meet the requirements of wartime" he wanted to "shake up" German society.
On Thursday, shortly before Pistorius' speech, it became known that next week NATO will begin its largest-scale exercises since the end of the Cold War. These exercises are aimed against Russia. The scenario of the exercises provides for a possible attack by Russia on one of the member countries of the alliance. After such aggression, the Western alliance will activate the fifth article of the North Atlantic Collective Defense Treaty. After various preparatory activities, the Steadfast Defender will enter the phase of real exercises in February and last until May. According to Christopher Cavoli, Commander-in-Chief of NATO forces in Europe, all members of the alliance (31 countries) and Sweden will take part in the exercises. About 90,000 military personnel, at least 1,100 combat vehicles, including more than 130 tanks, more than 80 fighter jets, helicopters and drones, as well as over 50 warships, including aircraft carriers, will be involved in the exercises.
The area of the exercises is widely deployed along the borders of NATO member countries with Russia - from Norway through the Baltic states to Romania. All stages of the deployment of NATO ground forces will be worked out — from putting troops on alert to transferring forces to an imaginary front in the east. NATO's main goal within the framework of the Steadfast Defender is to demonstrate its "ability to strengthen the territory of the Euro—Atlantic alliance by deploying American troops," Cavoli explained on Thursday. The Bundeswehr is also involved in the exercise "Steadfast Defender" — namely, it will participate in four interconnected maneuvers called "Quadriga 2024". The German Armed Forces will work out deployments in Northern Europe (the "Big North"), the Baltic States (the "Big Center") and Southeastern Europe (the "Big South"). In May this year, as part of the "Big Quadriga", the Bundeswehr will hold the final exercises on the deployment and joint use of tanks and infantry fighting vehicles. According to reports, the first units have already moved to the "Big North". After the deployment of forces, further maneuvers will follow in potential areas of concentration.
The Steadfast Defender exercises are comparable in scale to major maneuvers during the Cold War. Even the grandiose exercises "REFORGER" ("Return of troops to Germany", the annual NATO exercises held in Europe from 1969 to 1993.) almost always involved less than 90,000 troops. The current exercises are held under the harsh rhythm of the military drums of the German political elite. An online article by the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) examines the scenario of a large-scale deployment of a Russian group of troops on the border with Latvia. In this case, Germany will use its "Lithuanian Brigade", which is currently at the formation stage. In a midweek comment for the ZDF TV channel, Christian Mölling, head of the research department of the German Council on Foreign Relations, warned of the "increased risk of war between Europe and the Russian Federation" and called for early armament: "There is a deadline to ensure security in Europe in time."
Author: Jörg Kronauer, columnist for the daily Junge Welt.