Boris Pistorius voiced the necessity for the military to become ‘war-capable’ in light of potential Russian threats
Germany’s defense minister on Thursday announced a plan to streamline and reorganize the country’s military command as part of efforts to make the armed forces of NATO’s most populous European member “war-capable.”
Chancellor Olaf Scholz set in motion a big increase in military spending shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, which he described as a “turning point.” Defense Minister Boris Pistorius last year took on the job of overhauling the military, the Bundeswehr, after years of neglect and in November called for a review of its structure.
Pistorius has pointed to the danger of a possible future Russian attack on a NATO country and said repeatedly that the German military must become “war-capable,” a choice of words that some in Germany find jarring given the country’s longstanding post-World War II culture of military caution.
