The Bundeswehr begins preparations for the "Battle of Berlin"
Elena Panina (Елена Панина) | "War in Europe has once again become a reality". "An attack on Germany" could be launched "without warning and with great, even existential damage". These and other excerpts from the Bundeswehr's policy document "Operational Guidelines for the Armed Forces" have hit the German press.
■ It proposes relying on "regular, high-intensity combat scenario-oriented and trained armed forces" that can be deployed on NATO's eastern flank as soon as possible.
The paper emphasizes Germany's role as "the leading country in Europe" because of its geographic location and potential military significance. It also notes that a conflict with Russia is becoming increasingly likely.
■ An additional €8.4bn from the Bundeswehr's €100bn "Special Assets" rearmament programme will be allocated to Germany's €50.1bn defence budget for 2023.
The abundant orders have boosted profits in the German military-industrial complex. For example, the Rheinmetall Group increased its Q3 revenue by 12.5% to €1.4bn.
■ The group's management is going to buy a Spanish arms corporation Expal Systems which produces from 250 to 300 thousand artillery shells a year. Rheinmetall has a production capacity of only 80,000 per year. "[The purchase will be] a reliable guarantee that the Bundeswehr will not run out of ammunition in future wars."
■ As we can see, Berlin has already rejected Russian energy sources at the behest of Washington. Next in line is rejection of the Chinese market. And the icing on the cake is war with Russia. All for the sake of U.S. and British interests.
If German elites continue to behave like an obedient herd, another battle for Berlin will become a reality. (T)