German Military Chief Warns: Russia Testing NATO Air Defenses Daily

The head of the German Armed Forces has publicly urged the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to step up its response level, warning that "Russia is testing us every day."

General Carsten Breuer, the Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, equivalent to the Chief of Defense, issued the warning in an interview with the U.S. daily The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published on the 11th (local time).

"Hybrid attacks are taking place every day in NATO member states, especially on the eastern flank," he said, adding, "Russia is testing us and seeing how we will react."

These remarks came as authorities entered emergency response mode after an explosives-laden drone was discovered at Leipzig/Halle Airport in eastern Germany on the 4th, prompting officials to designate it as a "serious security threat."

In the interview, General Breuer did not explicitly mention who might be behind the incident.

However, he argued that Russia is systematically utilizing drones to reconnoiter European air defenses and identify vulnerabilities, pointing to this as a "gray-zone operation" intended to destabilize governments and institutions across Europe.

General Breuer warned in particular that Russia is attempting to refine its tactics for future conflicts through such efforts, and that it has "already shifted its economy and military power to prepare for a larger conflict with the West."

Breuer suggested that given its geographic location and status as Europe's largest economy, Germany must play a leading role in responding to these Russian threats.

He added that Germany will serve as a "strategic adhesive" connecting the Baltic region, Northern Europe, and the frontline of Eastern Europe.

These voices align with the new military strategy that Germany has embarked on extensively over the past few years.

In a military strategy document released in April, the German Ministry of Defense designated Russia as its primary threat, setting a goal to build the Bundeswehr into Europe's strongest conventional military by 2039 by securing 460,000 troops—including 260,000 active-duty personnel and 200,000 reservists—along with long-range precision-strike weapons.

This marks the first time since the founding of the Bundeswehr in 1955 that Germany, a perpetrator nation of World War II, has established a comprehensive military strategy assessing the security situation and outlining troop deployment plans for contingencies.

The WSJ also noted that General Breuer is widely considered a leading candidate for the next chair of the NATO Military Committee in September.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.