General Army Inspector and Lieutenant General Christian Freuding is calling for an increased pace in the reform of the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) in response to threats posed by Russia. Speaking to Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland, Freuding stated, “We must switch into a different mode. We urgently need an increase in capabilities.”
He stressed the gravity of the situation, noting that the NATO prognosis suggesting Russia could attack the relevant territory by 2029 is “not an arbitrarily chosen date.” According to Freuding, Germany must prevent a potential attack by “demonstrating military strength at the earliest possible point in a credible deterrent.” He cautioned, “The enemy does not wait for our completion report. The sooner the war in Ukraine ends-and we all wish it would-the sooner the Russian armed forces will be capable of attacking.”
The restructuring of the Bundeswehr must focus not only on technological innovation but also on personnel development. Freuding stated his goal is clear: “I want us to gain combat effectiveness and operational value when we restructure now.” Already, basic training includes a course on drone operation. He emphasized, “Everyone must learn this, everyone must be able to do it,” explaining that in the future, every soldier must be capable of serving as a drone reconnaissance operator or drone defender.
Regarding compulsory military service, Freuding holds a principled view: “I fundamentally believe it is correct for a liberal state to initially rely on volunteers to defend itself.” However, he also argued that if voluntarism proves insufficient, it is equally appropriate to “ensure that this liberal constitutional framework is maintained by making the participation of its citizens a required duty to the necessary extent.”
Despite these calls for acceleration, Freuding views the “turning point” (Zeitenwende) described by former Chancellor Olaf Scholz, which began after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, as being on a positive track. “We have left the starting blocks and are progressing well,” the Army Inspector remarked. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that this task has no fixed endpoint. The security policy dynamic will present the Bundeswehr with “new challenges every day” in the coming decades. Freuding concluded that the military will be able to “assert itself and fulfill its mission when we are capable of adapting quickly and sustainably again and again.” When discussing the need for a resilient culture, he asserted that Germany’s capabilities should not be underestimated, and the nation must be confident in its ability to achieve this itself.
