Germany outlines wartime plans
And German leaders defend provocative US Tomahawk missiles as 'necessary' given Russian threat
Jan Oberg
The madness unfolds, slowly but surely, day-by-day. Not the least in Nord Stream-submissive Germany. The citizens are being prepared for war against Russia that, with the exception of nuclear arsenals, is a military dwarf compared with the 32-member NATO and its 10 times larger military expenditures.
The US/NATO “response” to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is vastly out of proportion and being misused as a cause to re-arm the world’s already by far strongest alliance - in military and military expenditure terms.
This is militarism. It is communicated by mass groupthink mantras. It approaches madness.
One of the essential mantras is expressed below by German military minister Pistorius: “We must not believe that Putin will stop at Ukraine’s borders when he gets that far.”
I have argued point-by-point that “Russia is not a threat to NATO or neutral states. Full stop.”
The mantra is never backed up by a) a scenario, b) an indicator of the probability or c) discovered/revealed Russian warplans or other indications that that is what Russia/Putin plans to do next.
Therefore, I assume that this is a deliberate propaganda lie and that he - and all of NATO - knows that there is no such plan, no such risk. But how would you squeeze incredible sums out of taxpayers if there was no formidable enemy?
Russia has spent more than two years occupying about 20% of Ukraine’s territory. Also, it was never a “full-scale” or “unprovoked” invasion, far from it.
So, continuing to take the rest of Ukraine, then Poland, the Baltic Republics, Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark - - - oh yeah, sure. If you have lost all common sense and/or believe that Putin’s Russia is suicidal!
The new German-US Agreement about long-range (310 to 1,800 miles) Tomahawk missiles is grossly provocative and de-stabilising. While called “conventional” in the White House announcement, one may wonder whether they can also be converted to carry nuclear weapons as some versions can; I admit to not having the technical expertise on this, but I do remember how, in the 1980s, we were fighting to avoid the nuclear systems in Europe - the Russian SS-20 and the West’s Pershing II nuclear cruise missiles - and we got the INF Treaty. Anyhow, the Tomahawks cruise missiles that are difficult to detect on radars are extremely nasty weapons. More about this missile here.
Either we are facing mass psychosis or we are being massively lied to. Or both.
The only thing of which I am sure of is that there is no rational thinking behind anything NATO is doing these years. And that is damn dangerous for all of us.
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1.
CNN’s Sophie Tanno & Nadine Schmidt write on June 9, 2024:
Conscription, rationing, and subway stations turned into bunkers. For the first time since the Cold War, Germany has updated its plans should conflict erupt in Europe, with ministers citing the threat posed by Russia.
The 67-page document, known as the Framework Directive for Overall Defense and released this week, envisions the complete transformation of daily life for German citizens in the event of war.
It is a further sign of how Germany, which has had a staunchly anti-militaristic stance since World War II, has been forced to adapt its security and military policy in the wake of Moscow’s war on Ukraine.
Under wartime conditions, mandatory conscription into the army would be reinstated and skilled laborers aged over 18 could be made to work certain jobs including in bakeries and post offices – as well as being prevented from quitting their jobs. Doctors, psychologists, nurses and vets may also be repurposed in military and civil service roles.
Rationing would also be brought in. In the event of dwindling food supplies, the government would stockpile food to provide citizens with “one hot meal a day” for an undisclosed period of time, according to the document. Federal reserves would include foods like rice, pulses and condensed milk.
Other key resources such as petrol and oil could also be rationed with coupons if they become scarce.
It also outlines civil protection measures including transforming underground stations into makeshift bunkers and preparing hospitals for an influx of patients.
Unveiling the plans, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said it was necessary for her country to arm itself better in the face of Russian aggression.
“The Russian aggression has completely changed the security situation in Europe – first and foremost among our eastern EU and NATO partners such as in the Baltic States, but also due to hybrid threats such as cyber attacks, espionage and disinformation here,” she said.
“In addition to all the protective measures of our security authorities and military deterrence and defense, we must therefore also further strengthen civil protection.”
The document warns that Germany’s hospitals would have to prepare to treat large numbers of patients over a long period of time.
It adds that, if war breaks out, the German population cannot count on “government-organized help” to be provided immediately, due to the possibility “of damage occurring simultaneously at a large number of locations.”
Therefore, it says, civilians must be ready to help themselves first, as well as provide help to neighbors where possible.
Basements, underground car parks and subway stations should be used as temporary bunkers, the document states, adding that attacks could occur with “extremely short warning times.”
Germany’s broadcast and digital media will be required by law to share important government information immediately. As Germany’s state broadcaster, Deutsche Welle would be legally obliged to provide the government with information regarding broadcasting times for the announcement of new laws, regulations and updates.
Authorities will have the power to evacuate civilians to certain areas – although families should not be separated, the document states.
While German weather services are expected to continue even in the event of an emergency, authorities could ban or restrict the publication of forecasts.
‘Ready for war by 2029’
Germany’s updated wartime plans come as Russian President Vladimir Putin presents an ongoing security threat to Europe. His war in Ukraine is well into its second year, with no conclusive end in sight and fears that the conflict could spill over into a wider war involving NATO.
On Wednesday, German Defensive Minister Pistorius was quoted by newspaper Der Spiegel as saying: “We must be ready for war by 2029.”
Pistorius added, “We must not believe that Putin will stop at Ukraine’s borders when he gets that far.”
Similarly, voices from within the British government have expressed the need to be war-ready. Former UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace in February stated that “war is coming” to Britain by the end of the decade, as he called for greater investment in defense.
In recent weeks Russia has issued some of its starkest warnings to the West yet, in light of some of Ukraine’s allies giving Kyiv permission to use their weapons to strike limited targets inside Russian territory.
Putin on Wednesday described the provision of Western weaponry as a “very serious and dangerous step,” which he said could result in Moscow arming its enemies.
The Russian leader specifically pointed to a breakdown in Russia’s relations with Germany, claiming that the appearance of German tanks in Ukraine had resulted in an “moral, ethical shock,” because “the attitude towards [Germany] in Russian society had always been very good, very good.”
“Now, when they say that some more missiles will appear that will strike targets on Russian territory, this, of course, is ultimately destroying Russo-German relations,” he added.
2.
News bureau DPA writes on July 11, 2024:
German leaders justified an agreement with the United States to station long-range missiles in the country by citing the increased threat posed by Russia to European security.
The agreement between Berlin and the White House, announced on Wednesday, calls for placing long-range US missiles in Germany by 2026 that would have the range to strike well into Russia.
It will be the first time since the end of the Cold War that such weapons have been deployed on German territory.
"We know that there has been an incredible arms build-up in Russia, with weapons that threaten European territory," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington.
There had been lengthy discussions on how to respond with conventional deterrence in addition to the NATO nuclear umbrella. The deployment of long-range weapons had already been laid down a year ago in Germany's first National Security Strategy.
"That is why the United States' decision fits in perfectly with this strategy, which we have been discussing publicly for a long time."
Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck, a Green, also defended the arrangement as "necessary" on Thursday, despite criticism from some members of his party, which traces its roots partly back to anti-nuclear protests.
"Rearmament is not something I take lightly," Habeck told the Neue Westfälische newspaper. "But I think the US decision to station long-range weapons in our country is necessary."
The increased threat to Germany and its NATO allies in Europe from Russia, which is currently waging an ongoing invasion of Ukraine, calls for a sober-minded response, Habeck said.
"We must increase our defensive capabilities because we are living in a very threatening time that is different from the 1980s. That's why naivety is out of the question," he said.
His remarks referenced widespread protests in Germany over the 1979 NATO Double-Track decision, which provided for the deployment of US Pershing II medium-range missiles to Western Europe in response to military build-up by the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact countries.
Cold War calculations prevailed then, Habeck said: "Now we are experiencing a hot war in Ukraine because people are shooting and dying."
The Russian army's build-up "obviously also threatens NATO's eastern flank," Habeck said. "So Russia is not a peace partner at the moment."
Russia decries move, warns of response
Russia's ambassador to Germany, Sergei Nechayev, has warned the German government of a further deterioration in relations between Moscow and Berlin if the United States stations long-range missiles there as announced.
"It is to be hoped that the German political elites will reconsider whether such a destructive and dangerous step, which contributes neither to the security of the Federal Republic of Germany nor the European continent as a whole, is advisable," Nechayev said. "Not to mention the irreparable damage to German-Russian relations."
Nechayev claimed that the move would lead to further tensions, an arms race and the risk of an uncontrolled confrontation between Russia and NATO, which could have irreversible consequences.
Russia's deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, told Russian state news agency TASS in St Petersburg on Thursday that Russian security would be compromised by such weapons.
"We will work out a primarily military response to this without showing nerves or emotions," he said but did not give any details.
Ryabkov noted that the NATO Double-Track Decision's deployment of missiles in the 1980s was aimed at putting pressure on the Soviet Union to engage in arms control and disarmament talks, which ultimately led to major agreements.
Ryabkov said he could not imagine what the US and Germany were now aiming for.
"They can hardly count on this experience being repeated. The situation has changed fundamentally," he told TASS.
Scholz: Rearmament 'no real surprise'
Scholz on Thursday played down the possibility of widespread protests or resistance to the return of long-range weapons to Germany, including from within the ranks of his Social Democrats (SPD), who have historically opposed weapons build-ups.
"This decision has been a long time in the making and comes as no real surprise to anyone involved in security and peace policy," he said.
As a young Social Democrat in the 1980s, Scholz himself took part in protests against the deployment of missiles. The US missiles were withdrawn by 1991 following the end of the Cold War.
The new agreement with the US calls for Tomahawk cruise missiles, SM-6 anti-aircraft missiles and newly developed supersonic weapons to be deployed in Europe starting in 2026, with the stated goal of providing better protection for NATO allies.
Habeck, however, said that Germany's security policy should only be a first step, and that efforts should still be made to find ways to achieve lasting peace and eventual disarmament.
"We must find ways to turn the logic of escalation back into diplomacy, to turn the war in Ukraine into a peaceful solution - always together with the Ukrainians and always with a view to the sovereignty and freedom that they are defending there," he said.
Greens demand Scholz offer clear explanation
Earlier Thursday, the German Greens, a junior partner in Scholz's coalition, demanded an explanation of why the US long-range cruise missiles are to be stationed in Germany.
Green parliamentary security spokeswoman Sara Nanni criticized Scholz for not explaining the decision.
"It can even increase fears and leaves room for disinformation and incitement," Nanni told the Rheinische Post regional newspaper. She noted also that Scholz had provided little information on the actual threat facing NATO.
Katharina Dröge, head of the Greens' parliamentary group, expressed similar concerns to broadcaster RTL/ntv. Many people could become worried following the announcement, she said.
"For that reason, I believe that it would be right for the chancellor to explain and answer these questions in public. In my view, he bears the responsibility for this," Dröge said.
Det vil være helt legitimt, at Rusland - udover et neutralt Ukraine - også kræver et neutralt østeuropa, der ikke truer Rusland.