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“Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD) has criticized the NATO maneuvers in Eastern Europe and is instead calling for more dialogue and cooperation with Russia. ‘What we shouldn’t do now is to further heat up the situation with loud saber rattles and howls of war,’ he said Picture on Sunday. “
Southern Germans
Newspaper, June 18 2016.
This spring it will be tight and noisy on Germany’s motorways and roads, especially at night. Because American troop transports rattle on the way to the east. Since the end of January, the largest US military maneuver since the end of the Cold War has been taking place on European soil under the name “Defender Europe 2020”. It is accompanied by seven independent maneuvers with a total of 19 participating NATO countries and extends across seven European countries. This series of maneuvers is the first major test run of the NATO war infrastructure built up over the past five years to deploy against Russia. Following the pattern of the American REFORGER maneuvers during the Cold War up to the early 1990s, Defender will in future take place every two years in this massive form.
By train, ship transport,
On the road and by plane it goes all the way across Western Europe via Germany to close
to the Russian border. All modes of transport are being tested. To those involved
German deep sea and inland ports include Bremerhaven, Bremen, Duisburg and Krefeld.
Locations in Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt am Main, Munich,
Nürnburg and Ramstein used. Of particular interest are the two street,
or freeway routes in a west-east direction. These are the classic axes
Düsseldorf – Hanover – Magdeburg – Frankfurt / Oder and Düsseldorf – Mannheim – Nürnburg – Dresden – Görlitz.
Main locations of the maneuvers
however, are Poland and the Baltic States. The United States is in command of around 37,000
Soldiers. About 20,000 soldiers – about a complete US division – will be
in addition, including war technology, transported across the Atlantic, the large technology
is largely taken from depots in Germany. 9,000 American soldiers
come from German locations, and 8,000 additional soldiers are from NATO partners
provided. Germany participates with around 2,400 men and women
and due to its geographical location in the center of Europe it is considered a logistic hub
for American troop transfers. Planning is one of the German tasks
and approval of transit, route planning, provision of accommodation,
Fuel and food as well as ensuring the IT communication connection.
A kind of general certification for military is of particular importance
Heavy transports that go beyond this maneuver – also for future exercises
and the case of war – should apply.
In this respect, “Defender Europe
2020 ”also a stress test for the entire logistics. To a large extent
the provision of adequate and suitable means of transport for troops and
Technology as well as questions about the specific permeability and resilience of the whole
Road and rail network – including all bridges. You can confidently assume
that of the planned 156 billion euros that the Deutsche Bahn over the years
plans to invest by 2030, a significant part in military-related projects
is stuck that do not appear as armaments expenditure at all. Alone
Over the next ten years, 86 billion euros are to be used to expand the rail network
be used. “Defender Europe 2020” is likely to provide some crucial starting data for this
deliver.
Given the already real
existing tensions with Russia, this maneuver contributes to a further escalation
confrontation and must be seen as a provocation rather than a peacekeeping measure
will. The highlight of the maneuver should be the days around May 8th, the 75th anniversary
liberation from Hitler fascism, for the suppression of which the Soviet Union
Carried the brunt and paid the largest blood tariff with around 20 million war deaths
Has.
The reason for the maneuver
with an alleged aggressiveness of Russia ignores the historical fact
that in European history Germany has twice been an aggressor against
Russia and the Soviet Union appeared; but never have Russia
or attacked the Soviet Union Germany.
In this respect, all is also
the West’s assertion underlying this saber-rattling is extremely questionable,
that Russia would not only be able, but also willing, to move to a NATO country
to invade like Estonia or Poland. Even the Inspector General of the Bundeswehr
a.D. and former chairman of the NATO Military Committee, Harald Kujat, criticized
such assumptions as “completely absurd […], one-sided, incomplete and a rational
Verification does not stand up. […] Putin knows that this is utterly international
Isolation would result – with unmistakable political and economic
Consequences for the country. “Wolfgang Richter, Colonel a.D. the Bundeswehr and security experts
of the Science and Politics Foundation (SWP) in Berlin, sees no structural
Preparations for attack by Russia. Moscow adheres to the 1994 NATO agreement
Agreement, no additional substantial combat troops in the border regions
to station to the Baltic States.
Every German citizen
who is reasonably informed and can think politically has long understood that
Russia peace and stability as the basis of its own economic, social
and political development is urgently needed. Russia is not at war
interested in any confrontation with Germany, the EU and the entire West.
Also not because Russia is militarily inferior to NATO overall
and a conflict with NATO cannot be limited regionally. So why
Russia should risk a global military conflict in which there are only losers
can give?
It is reasonable to assume
that Russia only has to serve as an excuse for the transatlantic West to
to justify its geopolitical claims and visions of power and military
to underpin. NATO needs the enemy image of Russia as a basic condition for existence
for yourself. In this respect, the maneuver “Defender Europe 2020” aims to
to stabilize this enemy image, to fuel the mood against Russia and in particular
the German and Eastern European population to a permanent NATO military presence
to get used to their territories and their tolerance for further escalation levels
to test.
Given the global climate emergency
the maneuver is a historical anachronism solely because of the threat of war.
The primary focus here is not on the danger of a nuclear war
that would question the existence of all of humanity. Everyone
conventional war and every major maneuver mean by CO2nd-Emission,
Fine dust emissions and damage to the infrastructure for communication and traffic
a huge environmental impact. Overall, the development and expansion of the worldwide is proving
military confrontation potential as a crucial waste of resources,
that prevents us from solving fundamental human life questions – including
especially the climate issue.
That is exactly why “Defender
Europe 2020 ”since autumn 2019 for the German and European peace movement
also at the center of their attention. The largest nationwide peace conference of the
last year, the “Peace Advice 2019” from December 7th and 8th in Kassel
In the final declaration, “the NATO war rattle should be
and audible way to meet imaginatively, peacefully and courageously “. To sum up
the subsequent action consultations in Hamburg and Leipzig made concrete decisions.
So you can assume
that there will be numerous demonstrations against the
provocative troop movements come. In particular the traditional annual
Easter marches will be dominated by the anti-defender movement. It will
by no means just protests against the maneuvers. At its core, it’s about a new foreign
and security policy of the Federal Republic of Germany and the European Union
a total of. The federal government is expected to assume its responsibility for
Peace and stability in Germany and Europe fair through cooperation and dialogue
will reflect on the historical lessons from two world wars and politics
hostility and confrontation with Russia ended. Urgently required
are a policy of disarmament and military de-escalation as well as new confidence-building
Actions in Europe.
In view of the corona pandemic and the countermeasures that are spreading around civil and international life – Poland has also closed its national borders for passenger traffic – it should be a matter of course to stop Defender 2020 immediately! *
More soldiers and more weapons
don’t bring us more security. What we need in Europe is a new détente policy.
Now!
* Note of the editor: The Rheinische Post reported Today that Defender 2020 is currently exposed to the consequences and risks of the corona virus: “‘At the moment, all US troop movements are effectively suspended,'” the Bundeswehr said. “For the foreseeable future, no further ships will be unloaded in Belgium and the Netherlands, nor will other soldiers be flown into German airports.” With a few exceptions, the marching movements of the first contingents in Germany have already been completed, and most of the troops have reached their target locations. “
This post from Wilfried Schreiber is a takeover from the latest edition of “The leaflet – biweekly for politics, art and business“. The complete edition can be found on the website www.das-blaettchen.de can be viewed free of charge. However, non-commercial projects also have costs. For this reason, solo subscriptions help to obtain a PDF (click here) or in an eBook format (click here) the editorial team in solving this question.
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Here is a preliminary contribution from the new editions of “Das Blättchen – biweekly for politics, art and business”. The complete edition can be viewed on the website www.das-blaettchen.de free of charge.
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