Guidelines for the Bundeswehr
Pistorius makes “war-fighting” his maxim for action
November 9, 2023, 5:59 p.m
With Russia’s “brutal attack” on Ukraine, the war has “returned to Europe,” says Defense Minister Pistorius – and presents his defense policy guidelines. He wants to use these to make the Bundeswehr “war-ready” – and the backbone of deterrence.
Against the backdrop of the Russian attack on Ukraine, Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has issued new defense policy guidelines for a “war-ready” Bundeswehr. Germany must be “the backbone of deterrence and collective defense in Europe,” said Pistorius in Berlin. Together with Inspector General Carsten Breuer, he emphasized that Germany’s “partners in Europe, North America and the world” expect “that we face this responsibility.”
The last defense policy guidelines were issued in 2011. The new edition that has now been published states that the Bundeswehr must become “war-ready in all areas” – a term that Pistorius recently used to trigger criticism. The requirements of the new guidelines are now being implemented into a new capability profile for the troops and into a military strategy.
“Without fundamental internal change, the Russian Federation will remain the greatest threat to peace and security in the Euro-Atlantic region,” the guidelines say. With Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “brutal attack” on Ukraine, the war has “returned to Europe,” emphasized Pistorius. As a result of the turning point this has triggered, Germany must now “grow up” in terms of security policy. The new defense policy guidelines are the “guideline for the necessary, profound change in mentality across security policy.” It goes on to say that Germany must be defensive and resilient, i.e. stable as a society and state in the event of attacks and disruptions.
National and alliance defense is a priority
From now on, the goal must be to refocus the Bundeswehr, which has been neglected for decades, on its core mission of national and alliance defense, write Pistorius and Breuer in the foreword to the new guidelines. From now on, this must be “structurally determining” for the army. All other tasks are “subordinate” to this core task, the guidelines say.
Nevertheless, the Bundeswehr should still be able to carry out international crisis operations. In addition to previous missions in the Western Balkans and the African Sahel region, Pistorius and Breuer also refer to the attack on Israel by the radical Islamic Hamas. The guidelines state that Israel’s right to exist is of “particular importance” in the international commitment to regional stability and peace.
In order to shape the turning point, “a steadily increasing ceiling of at least two percent” of economic output is necessary for defense spending, the guidelines continue. The sustainable and comprehensive financing of the Bundeswehr is an “indispensable prerequisite” for German credibility in implementing the turning point.
The goal is “rapid full equipment”
“Our most urgent goal is to quickly fully equip the Bundeswehr in order to make the Bundeswehr one of the most efficient armed forces in Europe,” the directive states as a maxim for equipping the troops. Decision-makers in administration, the military and authorities should also use the scope for the Bundeswehr. When awarding contracts, existing exception clauses must be “applied consistently and options under procurement law to speed up the process must be exploited”. In order to save time, the purchase of weapons and military equipment should be “consistently geared towards purchases available on the market”. There should only be additional “development projects, particularly in the area of national key technologies”.
The defense strategy states that the Bundeswehr must prepare itself for a fight “against an opponent who is at least an equal” in its national and alliance defense and then be “capable of persevering” even in highly intense battles. “We not only want to win this argument, we have to. This sets the pace.”
Even if the “focus is on security from the Russian Federation,” Germany faces a variety of security policy challenges, emphasize planners in the Defense Ministry. In addition to the situation in Africa, the Middle East, the Indo-Pacific and the Arctic, China is also specifically mentioned. This is trying to “reshape the rules-based international order according to its ideas” and is “increasingly aggressively claiming regional supremacy”.
There is no information on the Bundeswehr’s future personnel levels in the guidelines. Pistorius is currently checking whether the target of 203,000 soldiers set before his term in office will continue to exist. There are currently almost 181,000. However, the guidelines emphasize the need for a “well-trained reserve” that is intended to provide reinforcements in the event of national and alliance defense.