Should Germany's army be 'war fit'?
Dear Reader,
Imagine for a moment that the head of your country’s armed forces was asked whether they would be capable of defending you in the event of war, and the best answer he could muster was: “if we had to fight today, we would do that.”
It is not exactly a response that fills you with confidence.
In fact, I’d wager that in most countries it’s the sort of admission that would lead to a major political scandal. The chief of staff would no doubt be forced out of his job by an “outraged” defence minister, who’d insist that the army is absolutely capable of fulfilling its most essential duty. Nothing to see here, all just a misunderstanding.
But Germany is not like most countries.
When the chief of staff, General Carsten Breuer, admitted last month that Germany is a country without a defence force worthy of the name, his remarks barely caused a ripple.
On the contrary, Breuer and his…
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