Overview
- Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Russia’s aggression reaches beyond Ukraine and warned that “our way of life is in danger.”
- Germany’s top soldier, Carsten Breuer, said the country must think about war again and insisted Russia must never believe it can defeat NATO.
- Commanders identified Germany as a prime target because it would be NATO’s central staging area, with deterrence at risk if reinforcement traffic stalls.
- Scenario planning highlighted threats from sabotage and cruise-missile strikes on infrastructure as well as a potential unmanned attack on a chemical plant causing toxic releases.
- Officials pointed to Russian rearmament toward 2030—more artillery and rockets, increased drone output, a force of about 1.5 million, and retained nuclear options—and urged a bigger, stronger Bundeswehr, while a FAZ commentary pressed for concrete steps despite resistance to reinstating conscription.