The rearmament of Europe is not an incitement to war, but the responsible action of states determined to protect their citizens and preserve peace. They announced it the highest representative of the German armed forces, General Carsten Breuer, and the Chief of the General Staff of the British Army, Richard Knighton. In a joint article published on Sunday, they appealed to the public to accept “moral” reasons for arming themselves in the face of the threat from Russia. TASR informs about it according to the report of the DPA agency.
The commanders noted that in the past governments across the political spectrum used the so-called peace dividend – they cut defense spending and shifted money to public services – which was understandable at the time. But now, according to them, Europe must come to terms with “unpleasant truths about its security” and make fundamental changes in its defense due to the threats it faces.
“As the supreme commanders of the two most important European defense powers we have an obligation to explain why our governments have committed to the largest sustained increase in defense spending since the end of the Cold War.” they said in an article published in The Guardian and Die Welt.
According to them, Russia, which militarily invaded neighboring Ukraine almost four years ago, has shifted its attention towards the west. Meanwhile, its armed forces are rearming, drawing on the experience of the ongoing war and reorganizing in a way that “could increase the risk of conflict with NATO countries.”
“We have to prepare for this fact, we cannot afford to be complacent. Moscow is increasing its military power and is willing to wage war on our continent, as the situation in Ukraine painfully demonstrates. This represents an increased risk that requires our collective attention,” they wrote.
The public must understand the tough decisions governments must make to strengthen deterrence, commanders say. They recalled the agreement in this regard of NATO member states from last year’s summit in The Hague, that by 2035, they will increase defense spending to five percent of GDP. Britain is also building munitions plants, while Germany is permanently deploying a combat brigade on NATO’s eastern flank.
“History teaches us that deterrence ceases to work when adversaries sense disunity and weakness. If Russia views Europe this way, it may strengthen its determination to extend its aggression beyond the borders of Ukraine. We know that Moscow’s intentions extend beyond the current conflict. But the good news is that Europe is strong. NATO is the most successful military alliance in history, and today its military power is unrivaled.” they stated.
Representatives of the armies presented their arguments in favor of armaments after the end of the Munich Security Conference, at which world leaders discussed the future of European defense and the war in Ukraine. The conference was held at a time when the United States is strongly urging Europe to take responsibility for its own security.
Breuer and Knighton pointed out that the complexity of today’s threats requires a whole-of-society approach and a pan-European debate with the public that defense cannot be just the prerogative of soldiers, but an individual role and shared responsibility. According to them, it requires it resilient infrastructure, top technologies and institutions ready to act in conditions of threats. “Strength deters aggression. Weakness attracts it.” they emphasized.
