BERLIN (dpa-AFX) – Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has warned of the dangers of war in Europe and is urging speed up in the modernization of the armed forces. “We have to get used to the idea again that there could be a threat of war in Europe. And that means: We have to become ready for war. We have to be able to defend ourselves. And prepare the Bundeswehr and society for it,” said the SPD politician on Sunday evening on the ZDF program “Berlin Direkt”.
Pistorius did not accept allegations that the modernization of the Bundeswehr was going too slowly. “It doesn’t get much faster,” he said. Two thirds of the 100 billion euro special fund are already contractually bound. But production and deliveries take time, the minister admitted. At the same time, we are in the process of changing structures in the Bundeswehr.
Referring to the past 30 years without bloc confrontation in Europe, the minister said: “Everything that has been messed up in 30 years, sorry to say that, and has been run down cannot be recovered in 19 months.” In three, four or five years the Bundeswehr will look completely different. At the same time, Pistorius emphasized that the Bundeswehr is already one of the strongest armed forces within NATO in Europe./shy/DP/men