German army chief 'fed up' with neglect of country's military

[Boats]

German army chief 'fed up' with neglect of country's military
By: Reuters World News - 02-24-22
Re: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe...2-24/?rpc=401&

Photo link: https://www.reuters.com/resizer/cbr2...OJHZWA27IA.jpg
Howitzers of the German armed forces Bundeswehr are seen before being loaded to Lithuania at the Bundeswehr military base in Munster, Germany, February 14, 2022. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer

BERLIN, Feb 24 (Reuters) - The chief of the German army vented his frustration over what he sees as the long-running neglect of military readiness in his country in an unusual public rant a few hours after Russia invaded Ukraine, adding that the army was in bad shape.

Russian forces invaded Ukraine by land, air and sea on Thursday, confirming the worst fears of the West with the biggest attack by one state against another in Europe since World War Two.

"In my 41th year of peace-time service, I would not have thought that I would have to experience a war," Lieutenant General Alfons Mais said on LinkedIn on Thursday.

"And the Bundeswehr, the army which I have the honour to command, is standing there more or less empty-handed. The options we can offer the government in support of the alliance are extremely limited."

Commentators on LinkedIn praised Mais for his "brutally honest" words, many of them backing his veiled criticism of consecutive German governments that have been blamed for not fulfilling NATO's targets for military spending.

Germany in January offered to supply 5,000 military helmets to Ukraine to help defend against possible invasion - an offer Kyiv mayor and former world champion boxer Vitali Klitschko dismissed as "a joke".

"We have all seen it coming but were not able to get through with our arguments to draw the consequences after (Russia's) annexation of Crimea. This does not feel good. I am fed up with it," Mais said in his post.

NATO territory had so far not come under direct threat, he said, but Germany's partners in Eastern Europe were feeling constantly rising pressure.

"When, if not now, is the moment to put the Afghanistan mission structurally and with regard to our equipment behind us and overhaul our posture?" Mais said. "Otherwise, we will not be able to successfully fulfil our constitutional duty and our obligations in the alliance."

German forces were drastically scaled down after the end of the Cold War, and later trained mainly for missions such as in Afghanistan where the adversary was poorly equipped and not an armed force with the most modern weapons.

A spokesman for the German army declined to elaborate on Mais' criticism.

"We have nothing to add to the remarks of the chief of the army on LinkedIn at this moment."

Reporting by: Sabine Siebold; Editing by Nick Macfie

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Personal note: Here's my summary of the world order today:

It's not like we didn't see - or know - the early warnings coming from Russia.
Border War's are far from being over - Europe - the Middle East - & the Far
Eastern Countries are always monitoring - and updating - to defend their
homelands.
-
Insurrection's & Insecurities are everywhere of late - even in the US.
-
War preparations are a personal thing for each country. Yes it's expensive -
but better to be safe than sorry. Trust of one's neighbors has gone awry in
the world today. NATO has not proven itself in recent events. As have their
member's - mostly because they haven't incorporated - or updated their
own military's & counter-measures.
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Political fodder is daily - all around the globe. Lot's of talk - but when
the shit hits the fan - they are not prepared to counter the aggressors.
The Chain-of-Command is normally outdated - and/or has not updated
or their counter-measures - should they be needed. Security is not
cheap - but its better than seeing your innocent people - killed.
-
Yes - its tragic and it will happen again and again - unless you show
strength to offset those who would do you harm. It's not pleasant
- waring isn't fashionable - and it often times takes lots of it - to to
beat back the aggressors.
-
Your diplomats - who you put in office - have to be very observant -
of the movements and display's - of your neighboring countries.
This event didn't happen just now - all the sign's were there in plain
view - and once again - you tried to be diplomatic but look what
happen. Were you ready - or taken by surprise?
-
I regret what's happening to Ukraine - but your not the first country
to be over-run by your neighbors. A good defense is a strong offense
- you weren't ready - we could all see that. Diplomat's still have their
meetings - and still your attacked. Russia is a powerhouse as are
several other countries are around the globe. They are always
looking for a weakness to secure their statehoods. They also prefer
border countries to act like a buffer zone before the Motherland is
attacked.
-
Now adays they fight over assets - gas & oil - and at time's coal and
other resources lacking in their countries. These issues are always
monitored by each country.
-
Hence trade is brought up to shore up their stockpiles needed by
their countries.