Germany must be prepared for war within five years, warns naval commander
Germany's largest seaport, Hamburg, and the nation as a whole must brace for potential military conflict by 2029, Naval Captain Michael Giss has warned, stressing the importance of social and military readiness in the face of growing external threats.
The Commander of the “Hamburg” German Regional Command, Navy Captain Michael Giss, stated that Germany must be prepared for a potential military conflict within the next five years, according to Die Welt.
Giss noted that for 30 years after the end of the Cold War and Germany’s division, its citizens wanted to enjoy the “peace dividends,” and even now, the population remains far from perceiving an external threat.
“But my internal clock as a soldier is ticking and tells me that in five years, we must be socially resilient enough to withstand an external military threat,” the commander emphasized.
When asked whether Germany’s largest seaport, Hamburg, should also be ready for war, Giss pointed out that “all of Germany must be prepared for a war.”
“It is crucial for politics, the Bundeswehr, business, and society. It also applies to critical infrastructure — particularly Hamburg, a harbor for ensuring the Alliance’s operations and supporting NATO.
Due to its geographic location in Europe, Germany serves as a deployment site, a country through which NATO units march to the eastern flank. Naturally, the largest seaport in Germany will play a specific role in this,” Giss explained.
After the beginning of Russia’s all-out war against Ukraine in February 2022, the Bundeswehr began developing the “Germany Operational Plan” in March of the following year. The first version of the secret document, about 1,000 pages long, became available in March 2024, as per Ukrainska Pravda.
The starting point in developing the plan is the idea that Russia will have the military capability to attack NATO member countries within five years.
In July, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that the third Patriot system had arrived in Ukraine from Germany.
Ukraine needs Patriot air-defense systems to protect its sky against Russian missiles, as Russia continues shelling civilians and energy infrastructure in different oblasts.
Read also:
- Germany bolsters Ukraine’s air defense against Russian missiles with third Patriot system
- Politico: Ukraine expects Patriot systems, membership progress at NATO summit in July
- Scholz says Germany will transfer third Patriot system, additional IRIS-Ts and Gepards to Ukraine
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