German Bundeswehr General: Germany Is Not at War, but No Longer at Peace
Lt. Gen. Alexander Sollfrank, head of the Bundeswehr's Operational Command, discusses what would happen if Germany were attacked militarily. He says a conventional surprise attack is unlikely, but a hybrid shadow war of sabotage and espionage is already under way.
Germany is not at war, but it is no longer at peace either, according to Lieutenant General Alexander Sollfrank, commander of the Operational Command (Operatives Führungskommando) of the Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces. He made the assessment in a conversation with journalist Rixa Fürsen on the "Berlin Playbook" podcast by the political news outlet POLITICO Germany, in its "Security Sunday" episode. The discussion addresses what would concretely happen if the country were attacked militarily.
A hybrid war already under way
According to the episode, a conventional surprise attack on Germany is considered unlikely because of close surveillance. However, the hybrid "shadow war", waged through sabotage and espionage, is already running at full speed.
"Operations Plan Germany"
The episode explains how the "Operationsplan Deutschland" would work. In a crisis, Germany would become a logistics hub for tens of thousands of NATO soldiers. NATO is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance of the United States, Canada and European countries.
Defence concerns more than the military
A defence scenario, the episode stresses, affects far more than the armed forces. In a crisis, civilian authorities, police and the Bundeswehr would have to work closely together to build credible deterrence and defend Europe's security architecture.
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