Can Germany war?
“Foreign assignments are not a child’s birthday”
By Marko Schlichting
4/4/2023 3:25 am
The Russian attack did not catch Ukraine unprepared. Since the annexation of Crimea, the country had modernized its army and upgraded it as best it could. And Germany? Would the country be able to go to war if it had to? The guests at “Hard but fair” come to a sobering answer.
What would happen if Russia attacked NATO? Could Germany defend itself in an emergency? The Bundeswehr as a defensive army does not make the impression at the moment. The gaps that have arisen after years of deceptive security in the army are just too big. Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius believes that filling them could take up to 2030.
“It will be a while before we can defend ourselves,” agrees Michael Roth. The SPD politician is chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Bundestag. He is one of the guests on the ARD program “Hart aber fair”, in which the question “Does Germany have to be able to go to war?” will be rolled over on Monday evening. After the illegal occupation of Crimea by Russia, Germany made the mistake of continuing to engage in dialogue “Now we’re paying a high price for it,” says Roth. “But I have the impression that not only politicians but also citizens have understood that our democracy must be worth something to us.” It’s important now that Ukraine “won this terrible war of aggression. Because if Russian President Putin were to win this war, there would be more wars that would cost us even more money. Germany must now concentrate on supporting countries with a border with Russia. At the same time, the weapons that Germany had given to Ukraine would have to be replaced. “Politicians and industry are called upon to do this. The complicated procurement procedures alone take far too long. We have to be faster,” says Roth.
The politician complains that, in his opinion, the soldiers are not accepted enough in society. “For me, soldiers are citizens in uniform, part of society, and not just some people doing stuff on Mars.”
“A little respect would do”
One of them is Rüdiger Hesse. He was deployed in Kosovo and Afghanistan. Last year he left the Bundeswehr as a senior staff sergeant. The pictures he sees from Ukraine remind him of his mission in Kunduz, Afghanistan, he says in “Hart aber fair”.
The Bundeswehr can wage war, but the soldiers are trained for it. But there is a lack of material. Hesse: “Here, too, we unintentionally practice for war. We learn to improvise, to get things going without the possibility of getting spare parts on time, punctually or even with foresight.” In politics, this is called the “dynamic availability regiment”. Hesse explains the term: “We don’t have anything, but something might come up. Hold on, everything will be fine.” That worries the soldiers when they fight abroad, explains Hesse: “It’s a matter of life and death. Especially when something doesn’t work and can’t be repaired because the spare parts still have to be manufactured. We’re not open to it a children’s birthday party.”
Hesse hopes that something could change after the new era announced by Chancellor Olaf Scholz. But he’s not sure yet whether the promises made by politicians aren’t just empty phrases.
But Hesse also realizes that society’s perception of soldiers has changed since the start of the Ukraine war. He confirms: “It’s about recognition for us. A little respect for the work that we do for this society, for which we wear our skin to the market, would be enough for us.”
His experiences, especially the nights when he and his people were shot at with rockets, led to post-traumatic stress disorder in Hesse. He suffers from anxiety attacks, insomnia and depression, he says. He broke off contact with many friends and developed spasms. It used to be called “war tremors”.
Nevertheless, he advises young people who are considering whether they should join the Bundeswehr: “Think it over carefully. And if you’re clear that you want to risk your own life for yourself, your comrades and society to the fullest , then that’s a great employer. It opens up opportunities for you that nobody in the civilian world can offer you. I would do it again.”
“Germany can war”
The peace activist Franz Alt also knows that Germany can wage wars. The world had to experience this twice in the last century in a terrible way. Alt feels uncomfortable with the question “Can Germany go to war,” he says. “It’s not important to me whether Germany can have war. It’s important to me that Germany can have peace.”