Germany Must Prepare Entire Society for War, Military Chief Warns

Germany must mobilize its entire society, commercial industry, and armed forces to prepare for national defense and the potential risk of war, Inspector General of the Bundeswehr Carsten Breuer warned, Bild reported. Speaking at the IISS Prague Defense Summit, Germany’s highest-ranking military officer emphasized that military hardware and cutting-edge technology alone cannot safeguard the country against evolving security challenges.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Breuer observed that rapid technological acceleration causes frontline tactics to become obsolete quickly, stressing that German defense planners must systematically analyze the operational lessons emerging from Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. “Russia learns. They copy and adapt, introducing innovations aimed at our strengths and bypassing them. Technology should not determine what we do. We must determine what we do with technology,” Breuer stated. He stressed that resisting hybrid operations and modern warfare demands a comprehensive, resilient posture that extends far beyond the organic capabilities of the armed forces. Addressing the German public directly, Breuer underscored the vital role of civilian commitment in national deterrence. “Without you, we soldiers are doomed to fail. But failure is not an option. Because that would mean a fatal threat to our societies as we know them. We are all in the same boat,” the general said. Other Topics of Interest South Korea Signs Pact With EU on Satellite Network The agreement with the EU will explore integrating its K-LEO program with Brussels’ secure IRIS² satellite constellation. 2029 operational readiness mandate Breuer’s warning aligns with his standing strategic directive ordering the Bundeswehr to achieve full operational combat readiness by 2029 to deter potential Russian aggression against NATO territory. The readiness target is supported by legislative adjustments easing Germany’s constitutional debt brake for defense appropriations, allowing Berlin to inject substantial long-term capital into modernizing the military. The procurement framework prioritizes expanding multi-layered integrated air defenses, procuring long-range precision strike systems, scaling electronic warfare capabilities, and replenishing critical ammunition stockpiles. The strategic timeline reflects intelligence assessments shared across NATO suggesting that Moscow could reconstitute its conventional military forces, scale domestic industrial output, and position itself to challenge allied frontiers within five years. Leipzig airport sabotage and Russian hybrid threats The military leadership’s urgent appeal arrives amid acute vigilance across Germany following a thwarted Russian-directed sabotage operation at Leipzig/Halle Airport on Aug. 4. During that incident, an attempted drone strike targeting a Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft failed only because a detonator wire broke, leaving approximately 1.8 kilograms of Semtex explosive concealed inside a vegetable tin can unexploded. German investigators determined that a detonation would have caused structural damage to the logistics hub, as the cargo aircraft held roughly 25,000 liters of aviation fuel at the time of the attempt. German security services identified two primary operatives linked to the plot: Belarusian national Andrei K. and Russian national Oleg L., assessing that the operation was coordinated on behalf of Russia’s military intelligence directorate (GRU). Polish prosecutors separately linked Andrei K. to a major state-sponsored arson attack against a commercial center in Łódź in 2024. Forensic tracking showed that the explosives were smuggled into Germany through Balkan freight routes and cached near the airfield. In response to the plot, the German government publicly attributed the sabotage to Russian intelligence agencies on Sept. 1 and ordered the expulsion of approximately 60 Russian diplomats alongside the closure of the Russian Consulate General in Bonn by Sept. 18, underscoring the growing convergence of asymmetric sabotage and conventional deterrence facing German defense planners. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.