2024-03-21 18:51:11
Robert Habeck wants to prepare Germany and Europe for a land war. The Union thinks this is right – but is still criticizing the minister.
Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens) receives support from the Union for his statement that Germany and Europe must prepare for a land war. “This late realization is correct,” said deputy parliamentary group leader Johann Wadephul t-online. “Vice Chancellor Habeck is, however, responsible for the current underfunding of the Bundeswehr.”
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) had already demanded ten billion euros more for the Bundeswehr by 2024, which he had not received, said Wadephul. “In this respect, Robert Habeck should above all ensure that the federal government creates the financial conditions for the Bundeswehr to achieve the war capability that is often required.”
Habeck: “Do homework on defensive ability”
Habeck said on Wednesday evening at the “Europe 2024” conference that Europe had to “do its own homework in terms of defense.” Regardless of whether Donald Trump is elected as the next US President in the fall, the arms industry must be ramped up and operational scenarios for national defense reactivated.
Habeck said they disarmed after 1990. An army was only considered necessary for “military police operations” abroad. “But we are not prepared for the fact that land war has suddenly returned again. And that’s what we have to do.”
Serap Güler (CDU): “What is he doing for it?”
Serap Güler, defense politician for the Union, told t-online: “Habeck is right. We have to ramp up production in our arms industry. But the question is: What is he doing about it?”
Güler emphasized: “The industry needs firm commitments, firm contracts, not lip service.” And it is also the restrictive arms export policy, for which Habeck is responsible, that is causing problems for companies.
Fear of German products is now rampant in this industry because there is concern that “if the Germans invest a single screw in systems, they cannot be sold because Germany is against arms exports.”
Approval in the SPD
The foreign policy spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group, Nils Schmid, told t-online: “Habeck isn’t saying anything new, but he’s still right: It’s been clear since the Russian attack on Ukraine at the latest that we have to strengthen national and alliance defense.”
Schmid referred to the 100 billion euro Bundeswehr special fund that the traffic light government set up in response to Russia’s war against Ukraine. To this end, the Chancellor suggested that the European Investment Bank should support arms production in the future, said Schmid. “And that’s why the EU is preparing aid to maintain production capacities in the defense industry and to quickly ramp them up again if necessary.”
Hofreiter: “Inconvenient truth”
Green politician Anton Hofreiter supports his party colleague. “Robert Habeck speaks an inconvenient truth,” said the head of the European Committee on t-online. “As much as I want a world without war and weapons, I have to acknowledge the harsh reality: With Russia, we have an expansive, imperial power in our neighborhood that has not only invaded Ukraine, but is also directly threatening us.”
Hofreiter emphasized: “In order to effectively protect ourselves from an attack, we need further investments in the Bundeswehr.” Only with an army ready to defend itself can Russia be deterred from an attack on NATO territory and peace in this country can be secured.
Strack-Zimmermann: “Not new”
The chairwoman of the Defense Committee in the Bundestag, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP), told t-online: “Minister Habeck’s statements are correct, but they are not new.” Minister Pistorius had already correctly called for Germany to become ready for war, “we in the Defense Committee have also been pushing for this and for ramping up production for a long time.”
“Unfortunately, after years of neglect, this cannot happen overnight,” said Strack-Zimmermann and made it clear: “It’s not just about conventional armament, but also about defending against cyber attacks, to which we are already exposed to a large extent .”