"Basically, we already have a war": Bundeswehr General sees "acute" attacks against Germany
Created: 06/10/2022, 12:32 p.m
Bundeswehr reservist training, here in Hammelburg in Bavaria © Sebastian Gollnow/dpa
How well would the German armed forces be prepared in the event of an attack?
The Bundeswehr General Schelleis sees "immense pent-up demand" - and already now concrete threats.
Cologne - "We are being acutely threatened and attacked": High-ranking Bundeswehr General Martin Schelleis has warned of serious military dangers for Germany.
"Basically, we are already at war: war in the information space, cyber attacks," Schelleis told the
Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger
.
Schelleis is inspector of the armed forces base and national territorial commander of the Bundeswehr.
As "realistic scenarios" the lieutenant general named "punctual 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, you have to say that."
Germany and the Ukraine war: "Missiles could reach Berlin"
In addition, according to the commander, there are threats such as a possible attack with ballistic missiles that Russia had stationed in the Kaliningrad area.
"They have now been withdrawn because of the Ukraine war, but they will certainly come back there," he said.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.”
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General Schelleis on the state of the Bundeswehr: "Immense pent-up demand"
The commander of the Bundeswehr's second-largest organizational unit, which is responsible for its entire logistics, complained that the Bundestag had not sufficiently financed the clearly defined needs for national and alliance defense for a long time.
"People just 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 is why deficits have been accepted.
Now we have a lot of catching up to do.”
(AFP/frs)
