Bundeswehr general sees concrete military threat to Germany

Enlarge image

A Bundeswehr soldier (l) helps a civilian with a reservist project at the Hammelburg military training area

Photo: Sebastian Gollnow / dpa

Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has promised a "turning point" and will equip the Bundeswehr with 100 billion euros in the coming years.

According to the assessment of the high-ranking Bundeswehr General Martin Schelleis, the special fund is also urgently needed.

In an interview with the »Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger«, the lieutenant general warned of serious military dangers for Germany.

"We are being acutely threatened and attacked," said Schelleis.

"Basically, we are already at war: war in the information space, cyber attacks." Schelleis is inspector of the armed forces base and national territorial commander of the Bundeswehr - and as such commander of the second largest organizational unit of the Bundeswehr with responsibility for its entire logistics.

For weeks, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been threatening a possible nuclear escalation if the West continues to support Ukraine against the Russian invasion.

Schelleis sees other threats than "realistic scenarios": He named "selective attacks on critical infrastructure, for example by special forces, with drones or speed boats, to disrupt our livelihoods, including with military means".

"We're not well positioned for that," warned Schelleis.

»Unfortunately one has to say that.«

"As Putin can be assessed, attempts at blackmail are easy to imagine"

But he is also worried about military attacks: According to the commander, a possible attack with ballistic missiles that Russia had stationed in the Kaliningrad area is possible.

"They have now been withdrawn because of the Ukraine war, but they will certainly come back there," he said.

“These rockets could easily reach Berlin.

From the point of view of Putin, attempts at blackmail are easy to imagine.«

Schelleis complained that the Bundestag had not sufficiently financed the clearly defined needs for national and alliance defense for a long time.

"People simply didn't seriously believe that the Bundeswehr could ever be called upon again on a large scale or even have to be deployed," he said.

“That's why deficits have been accepted.

Now we have a lot of catching up to do.«

mrc/AFP