Pistorius apparently plans crisis advice on US weapons systems

As the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” reported on Thursday, citing its own information, it is about security questions about US weapons systems that the Bundeswehr has already used or ordered. Accordingly, the minister plans a confidential round with generals, ministry experts and representatives of the procurement office.

According to “SZ”, the reliability of F-35 fight jets should also be concerned, of which the Bundeswehr wants to buy at least 35 pieces. A ministry spokesman told the newspaper that he did not want to comment on internal meetings. To the question of possible secret shutdown functions in the event of a conflict, he said: “The F-35 cannot be switched off from afar.” However, details on the operation of weapon systems, for supply and data connection are usually classified, i.e. secret.

At the same time, the Ministry pointed out that the fighter jets were not a “US-only” product. As a joint development of eight nations, the F-35 program is not a bilateral, but a multinational armaments project. There are essential parts that are made exclusively outside the United States.

The background to such considerations is a debate about the purchase of US weapon systems that increase Germany’s dependence on the United States. There is concern that the USA is more and more a geopolitical opponent under Trump. In the worst case, US weapons systems could be useless.

Masala: “Trump changed sides”

“Trump changed sides,” said German military expert Carlo Masala, professor of international politics at the University of the Bundeswehr Munich of the “Rheinische Post” on the current Russia policy of Washington. The US President wanted good relationships with Russia, which is why Trump took over the Russian narrative. For him, Ukraine is a disruptive factor.

On the subject of F-35, Masala said the “SZ”, nobody knew whether there was a shutdown function at the fighter jet, but he would not suspect it. The problem is the data transmission and the question of spare parts. “If that fails, the F-35 does not have a variety of its functions.”

Experts see the solution in the procurement of European armaments goods. “In the future, care must be taken to buy in Germany or Europe, even if we do not reach the American skills 100 percent,” the SPD defense housekeeper Andreas Schwarz told the newspapers of the Bavarian media group from Thursday. “Better 80 percent that work instead of 100 percent, which are not available because Trump pulls the plug.”

The CSU member of the Bundestag and defense politician Reinhard Brandl also relies on more orders for European armaments companies. “We have to become more confident along the entire value chain in the area of ​​security and defense and thus again award orders to national and European main customers,” he told the newspapers. Brandl also called for a better integration of European companies if you have to buy abroad.

Green boss for stronger focus on Europe

Green boss Franziska Brantner also spoke out for a stronger focus on Europe: “I hope that we don’t just buy American ‘off the pole’, even if we have no alternative in some areas,” she said. “We have to think European, better and faster, invest together in new technologies and create new European consortia – as Airbus once showed.”

The former chairman of the Munich Security Conference, Christoph Heusgen, hopes for an early strong European leadership with Germany, France, Great Britain and Poland. At the Munich Security Conference, he “always tried to bring the so -called Weimar triangle to the stage,” he told Phoenix.

He had not succeeded, but he was now optimistic that it will now succeed in view of the current challenges. The population must also be taken away so that it becomes clear “how urgent and necessary this reworking is in Europe”.