To get Germany’s embattled armed forces (Bundeswehr) back on track, the government will reorganise the command structure and make cyber and information technology a fully-fledged military unit on a par with the navy, air force and ground forces, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius announced on Thursday (4 April).
Germany has announced sweeping changes since the war in Ukraine, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz promising a “turning point” to rebuild its underfunded defence capabilities.
In a similar vein, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius pushed to make the armed forces ‘combat-ready’, insisting that he would introduce a new structure for the army this autumn, less than a year after taking office.
The minister unveiled his reforms on Thursday, outlining changes to be implemented over the next six months.
“The aim is to restructure the Bundeswehr so that it is optimally prepared even in the most serious situation, (…) in the event of war,” Pistorius told reporters, pointing out that Germany must take a leading role in European defence. We must ensure that NATO can fulfil its role [in countering threats]. This also means (…) preparing the Bundeswehr for national and alliance defence, a new and old challenge,” he said.
According to the minister, Germany has a “special responsibility” as the largest European member of NATO and Europe’s largest economy.
“Nobody should be tempted to attack Nato territory, that’s what we want to make clear,” the SPD minister said.
Pistorius said one of the ministry’s key demands was that the Bundeswehr be made available for compulsory military service in Germany, should a decision be taken to reintroduce it. In 2011, Berlin abolished the option of serving in non-military organisations in addition to compulsory military service.
The Defence Ministry’s proposal for a national service model for young adults will be presented to German politicians in the coming weeks.
The Nordic model, in which military service would be voluntary and gender-neutral, as in countries such as Sweden, is seen as a possible candidate.
A key element emphasised by Pistorius is the simplification of the chain of command and points of contact for allies through a new overarching Operations Command.
This will consolidate the separate command centres that were previously divided between external defence, internal defence and territorial defence.
The new joint command will serve as a single operational point of contact not only for NATO and the EU, but also for German authorities and organisations with security responsibilities at federal and state level.
Pistorius also announced that he was elevating the cyber and IT department to the status of a fully-fledged fourth service branch, on an equal footing with the navy, air force and army.
“We have elevated cyber to the level of a subordinate force so that the value we attach to this area is clearly recognised,” said German Chief of Staff Carsten Breuer on Thursday.
All four services will be supported by a joint support sector, which includes key functions such as medical services, logistics and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN or NBC) defence.
