READING MATERIAL: On the way back to "battle-ready"

External observers may ask themselves: how dysfunctional is the Bundeswehr? The Ministry of Defense has now issued new "Defense Policy Guidelines." They are intended to help align the Bundeswehr with the "demands of the turning point in time."

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and Bundeswehr Chief of Staff Carsten Breuer presented the new Defense Policy Guidelines for the turning point during the Bundeswehr conference on November 9, 2023. According to the document, the core mission of the armed forces is – surprise, surprise – "national and alliance defense." Personnel and equipment of the Bundeswehr are aligned with this mission. This requires a "combat-capable" force, as the threat situation in Europe has dramatically changed since Russia's illegal attack on Ukraine.

There was immediate excitement around the term "combat-capable," as if that shouldn't be self-evident for the "job description" of an army. In theory, the Defense Policy Guidelines should be the foundational document for the re-establishment of the Bundeswehr. We are curious to see if they succeed.

HERE you can download the Defense Policy Guidelines 2023 for free.