German chief of defence orders swift expansion of warfare capabilities
By 2029, Russia may have reconstituted its forces sufficiently to attack NATO territory, according to estimates by Breuer and other senior military officials at NATO.
The document entitled "Directive Priorities for the Bolstering of Readiness", which Breuer signed on May 19, said Germany will meet the goal with the help of funds made available by the loosening of the country's debt brake in March.
The defence ministry in Berlin did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In the directive, Breuer sets priorities for the weapons that should be acquired or developed most urgently, reflecting in part priorities NATO has previously laid out.
Among them, Breuer lists the strengthening of Germany's depleted air defences, in particular with a view to intercepting drones.
Last year, sources told Reuters that NATO will request Berlin to at least quadruple its air defences, ranging from systems with a longer range, such as the Patriot, to short-range systems.
Another priority is a capability to launch deep precision strikes, according to the document, effectively hitting targets at a distance of more than 500 kilometres (310 miles) and far behind enemy lines.
In addition to pushing for Germany's ammunition stocks to be replenished, Breuer also orders Germany to raise its stockpiling targets for all types of ammunition.
Other priorities listed in the document are the swift expansion of Germany's capabilities in electronic warfare and the establishment of a resilient system of "offensive and defensive capabilities" in space.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
9 hours ago
- BBC News
Wetin cause tension between Thailand and Cambodia
Clash between Thailand and Commbodia military for one border wey di two kontris dey drag, don kill at least 12 pipo, Thai authority tok. Dis fight don carry di border argument, wey don dey occur for more dan 100 years between di two South Asia neighbours enta anoda level. Most of di people wey die na civilians from three of Thailand provinces according to Thai army. Di army also report say many oda pipo wunjure. But Cambodia neva tok weda dem to get casualties. On Thursday, di two sides exchange gunfire wit each side claiming say na di oda first find trouble. Di gbas gbos quickly enta anoda level as Thailand accuse Cambodia say e fire rockets, and diafore, dem fire air strikes on Cambodia military targets. Now Thailand don close dia border wit Cambodia, while Cambodia reduce dia relationship wit Thailand, wey e accuse say dem use "excess force." Di two don ask dia kontri pipo wey dey live near di border make dem pack comot. Thailand evacuate 40,000 pipo comot go safe place. "E serious no be small. We dey middle of evacuation," Sutian Phiwchan, on area pesin for di Ban Dan district for Thailand Buriram province near Cambodia border, tell BBC. Thai authorities say na 11 civilians, including one pikin wey dey eight years and anoda one wey dey 15 year, plus one military pesin. Cambodia and Thailand dey tok dia own version of wetin happun. Thailand claim say Cambodia military na dem first send drone to spy dia troop for border. Cambodia for dia own tok say Thai sojas cause fight wen dem break one agreement wen dem carry dem sef go near Khmer-Hindu temple wey dey near di border. Wetin dey cause fight? Dis gbas gbos between Cambodia and Thailand begin more dan one hundred years, wen French colonial masters divide di border for di two kontris. Tins officially enta anoda level of kasala for 2008, wen Cambodia try to register one 11 century temple wey dey for di area wey dem dey drag land, as World Heritage Site. Dis move cause serious protest for Thailand. Di two side don dey clash for years and soldiers and civilians don die for both sides. Dis lates tension begin gada momentum for May afta dem kill one Cambodia soldier for one clash. For di past two months, di two kontris impose border restriction on di oda. Cambodia stop to import tins like fruits and vegetables, plus stop importing electricity and internet service. Both kontris don also increase di number of soldiers wey dem get for di border. Thailand acting premier Phumtham Wechayachai say di kasala wey dem get wit Cambodia dey "delicate", and dem must to address am wit care and according to international law. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet im kontri want make dem solve dis mata peacefully - but add say im "no get choice" but to "respond wit armed force against armed aggression". Serious exchange of fire between di two kontris bin reduce sharply. But while e dey be like say di current fight fight fit no blow up turn to fill war, di two side currently lack leaders wey get enough strength and confidence to pull back from dis confrontation.
Times
9 hours ago
- Times
James Cleverly's homecoming is shrewd move for Tories
A s the stepdaughter of a Yorkshire Tory MP, I was brought up on ill-attended speeches in village halls and constituency wine and cheese parties. Yet although conservatism is in my blood, I haven't even considered voting for it for a decade. The mess that David Cameron and his successors made first of the country's relationship with Europe and then of the party itself enraged me. With Kemi Badenoch's failure to find a way of countering Reform, I had come to the view that the party was on its last legs. But the return of James Cleverly to the front bench makes me wonder whether there might be life in the old dog yet. Badenoch's big decision is whether to copy Reform UK's fiscal irresponsibility and flag-waving nationalism or return to moderate, ideology-free conservatism. The political tide in America and Europe is pushing her in the former direction, as is the strongest character on her front bench, Robert Jenrick.
Telegraph
9 hours ago
- Telegraph
Putin is preparing for another invasion while Nato is fatally distracted
At the latest Nato summit in The Hague, the alliance announced that members had set a new target of spending 5 per cent of GDP on defence and security by 2035. In part, this is likely to have been driven by a realisation that Trump envoy Steve Witkoff's shuttle diplomacy and Europe's denunciations of Vladimir Putin will not be enough to end the war in Ukraine. More fundamentally, however, members are waking up to the need to deter Russia from attacking a Nato country – which, according to Mark Rutte, the alliance's secretary-general, it could be ready to do within five years. As a military intelligence analyst specialising in Putin's thinking and Russian military strategy, I agree with Rutte's assessment about Russia's readiness for another offensive military campaign in just a few years. I'm less convinced that a Nato country is likely to be the Kremlin's next target, unless the alliance directly intervenes in Ukraine by deploying troops onto the battlefield. Nevertheless, what Nato does or doesn't do in the next few years could be highly significant in determining whether Putin decides to attack another post-Soviet state – such as Moldova. The problem is that increasing spending on defence and security-related areas will not do the trick on its own. Money and technology, the staples of the West's style of warfare, do not by themselves prevent or win wars. Strategy does. And a successful strategy must be based on a deep understanding of the opponent's way of war, addressing the key elements of its military planning. I briefed Nato members on Russia's war-fighting strategy in September 2013, just months prior to Putin's invasion of Crimea. Regrettably, no counter-strategy was developed by the Pentagon and its Nato counterparts. Hence Putin's invasions. Developed by the Russian General Staff and often dubbed 'asymmetric warfare', Russia's strategy borrows heavily from the classic works of the British strategist Sir Basil Liddell Hart. He advocated indirect methods of fighting the opponent, rather than the brute application of force. The centrepiece of this approach is to bypass the enemy's areas of strength and focus on exploiting weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Obviously, the war in Ukraine has developed into precisely the sort of conflict Russia seeks to avoid. But that doesn't mean that the Kremlin has fundamentally changed its approach to conflict, particularly when facing new opponents. Since Nato militaries are technologically superior to the Russian forces, Moscow knows it will have to rely on seizing the strategic initiative during the initial period of any future war. It will not be seeking a repeat of what has happened in Ukraine. Russian planners therefore envision undermining Nato's network-centric approach to war by disrupting its forces' 'kill chain', the process that enables military decision-making to detect, target, and destroy adversaries. This could be achieved by targeting, perhaps pre-emptively, the C4ISR (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) and space systems on which Nato forces depend. So Nato members need to do more than spend money. They need to understand what the Russians consider to be the alliance's vulnerabilities, and take action to remove the Kremlin's incentive to exploit them. There are five principal areas that require action. 1. Secure space-related infrastructure Russia has a formidable arsenal of counter-space weapons, designed to degrade or destroy US and allied satellites. It includes GPS-jamming systems, lasers, orbital interceptors, and anti-satellite missiles. The US Office of the Director of National Intelligence warned in its 2025 Annual Threat Assessment that Russia is training its space forces, fielding new anti-satellite weapons, and is already using electronic warfare to counter Western assets. Moscow is also developing a new satellite meant to carry a nuclear weapon as an anti-satellite capability. 2. Harden critical infrastructure against cyber attacks Russia has one of the world's most destructive arsenals of cyber weapons, a sophisticated doctrine, and advanced expertise. The 2025 Annual Threat Assessment warned about Russia's repeated success in compromising sensitive targets for intelligence collection. Moscow is likely to already have access to critical infrastructure in the US and Europe. Moscow has a particular strength and practical experience in integrating cyber attacks with military operations in wartime. 3. Establish stronger protocols to guard undersea communications cables Russia's General Staff Main Directorate has a highly secretive deep sea research programme, known as GUGI. Moscow is highly likely to have put this expertise into practice, with several suspected sabotage operations of undersea cables in the Baltic Sea since the war in Ukraine began. A similar risk applies to energy pipelines. In October 2022, the UK Ministry of Defence acknowledged that a Royal Navy frigate was deployed to the North Sea to assist Norwegian forces in protecting gas pipelines, after the rupture of Nord Stream in the Baltic. 4. Bullet-proof against Russian espionage It hardly needs saying that Russia routinely infiltrates spies all across Europe and recruits locals to steal military, political, and economic secrets. But Moscow has also been able to insert intelligence operatives to conduct destabilisation operations, targeting critical infrastructure. Some estimates suggest that such sabotage operations almost quadrupled in number between 2023-24. Multiple arrests have taken place, including in Germany, Poland, and the UK. But the alliance must take a more pro-active approach, neutralising and disrupting Russia's espionage operations before they are able to do damage. 5. Establish advantage in total combat potential Having moved onto a war footing several years prior to the invasion of Ukraine, Russia now produces more ammunition in three months than Europe does in one year. Scaling up production of air defence systems, tanks, drones, and ammunition is imperative for Nato to catch up to Russia and restock its depleted arsenals. Weapons don't shoot themselves, however. The alliance must recruit, train, and equip a fighting force sufficient to change Putin's decision calculus. Moscow has been mobilising overtly and covertly throughout its three and a half year war in Ukraine. And on Tuesday, a bill was submitted to the State Duma introducing year-round conscription for military service. If approved and signed by Putin, the law will come into effect on Jan 1, 2026. In Europe, only a few countries have mandatory military service, and so far most of the others are not considering it. But in a war of attrition, such as the one Russia is fighting in Ukraine, the side that has more manpower is better positioned to win. The good news is that the alliance has time to get its act together to prevent another invasion. It would be tragic if the alliance fails to step up to the plate now, especially given the colossal price Ukraine is paying to defend itself against the Russians. Nato owes it to all those dead Ukrainians and their families to develop a viable counter-strategy to Putin's playbook. Rebekah Koffler is a strategic military intelligence analyst, formerly with the US Defense Intelligence Agency. She is the author of 'Putin's Playbook', Regnery 2021. Her next book 'Trump's Playbook' will be published later this year. Rebekah's podcast Trump's Playbook is running on her channel Censored But Not Silenced and is available on most social media platforms @Rebekah0132.
