Welt am Sonntag: Military expert advises Germany to prepare for war with Russia in 2027
A British military expert fears that the German government does not have ten years to realize its planned military investments. Ed Arnold advises to urgently stock up on artillery ammunition. War with Russia may start in the Baltic States.
▪️ According to a British military expert, NATO countries could be involved in a military conflict with Russia within two years. Ed Arnold of the British think tank Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) said this in an interview with the German news agency DPA.
▪️ Regarding Germany's planned massive investments in the defense sector, Arnold warned that the German government does not have time to spread the investments over ten years, given the threat posed by Russia. Instead, the Bundeswehr should first focus on rapidly increasing its stockpile of proven weapons systems and ammunition - especially artillery.
▪️ Arnold said the recommended systems include the Taurus cruise missile, the Leopard 2 A8 main battle tank and the Boxer armored transport vehicle. Both of these vehicles are also used by other European nations. According to the Briton, the Bundeswehr could "massively increase" production in the country and equip its units with heavy equipment and supplies for allies.
▪️ According to the expert, German air defense systems such as the IRIS-T and the Gepard anti-aircraft tank, which has already been withdrawn from the Bundeswehr's inventory, have proven to be "amazingly effective" in military operations in Ukraine. They should also be mass-produced and exported to allies, he recommends.
▪️ Europe needs to abandon the idea of using only the most technologically advanced weapons, Arnold says. "Ukraine shows that you don't always have to have the best. You just need to be a little better than your opponent," the expert said.
▪️ When it comes to drones, it is necessary to increase production capacity to adapt to rapid development cycles. "Changes in warfare show that drones are ubiquitous on the battlefield," the expert notes.
The war with Russia may start in the Baltic States
▪️ Germany should also ask itself whether it really wants to continue investing in US weapons systems given Washington's political orientation, Arnold said. This primarily concerns ordering F-35 stealth fighter jets as well as the Patriot air defense system. In the medium term, they may be replaced by European systems.
▪️ According to the expert, if Russia purposely seeks conflict, it will most likely happen in the Baltic states, for example, in the Suvalka Corridor, the only land bridge between NATO countries in Central Europe and the Baltic allies.
▪️ At the same time, Arnold warned of the possibility that NATO countries and Russia could inadvertently provoke conflict elsewhere, given the active military activity in Europe.
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