“The policy options we can offer in support of the alliance are extremely limited.”
(Photo: dpa)
Berlin Against the background of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Inspector of the Army issues a devastating testimony to the Bundeswehr. “The Bundeswehr, the army that I am allowed to lead, is more or less blank,” writes Lieutenant General Alfons Mais on the LinkedIn network. For him, this leads to the sobering conclusion: “The options that we can offer politicians to support the alliance are extremely limited.”
Germany’s top army soldier criticized: “We all saw it coming and were not able to get through with our arguments, to draw the conclusions from the Crimean annexation and to implement them. That doesn’t feel good! I’m sick of it!” Mais does not see NATO territory as a direct threat, even if Germany’s partners in the east feel the constantly growing pressure.
The lieutenant general appeals to politicians to act. “If not now, when is the time to leave the Afghanistan mission behind us structurally and materially and to reposition ourselves,” he writes. Otherwise Germany would not be able to implement its constitutional mandate and its alliance obligations with any prospect of success.
The military commissioner argued in a similar way to Mais. According to Eva Högl (SPD), after the Russian attack on Ukraine, the Bundeswehr will face numerous new tasks and challenges. But she sees the German military only partially ready for action. “The cold start capability of the Bundeswehr is not what it should be,” Högl explained on the television station phoenix and answered the question about the operational capability of people and material in the Bundeswehr: “We don’t know exactly whether it is like that.”
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>> Read also: “People are ashamed of our country” – How Germany’s Ukraine policy is making Europe more insecure
Ex-Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer was also very harsh on German security policy in recent years. “I’m so angry with us because we’ve failed historically,” wrote the CDU politicians on Twitter on Thursday. After the conflicts in Georgia, Crimea and Donbass, nothing was prepared that “really deterred” Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kramp-Karrenbauer continued: “We have forgotten the teaching of (Helmut) Schmidt and (Helmut) Kohl that negotiations always come first, but you have to be militarily strong enough that non-negotiation cannot be an option for the other side.”
More: NATO activates defense plans for Eastern Europe – Ukraine reports more than 30 Russian attacks.