If FDP politician Strack-Zimmermann has her way, the Bundeswehr should be realigned. A new enemy could help.

The Chairwoman of the Defense Committee of the Bundestag, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, calls for a realignment of the Bundeswehr with a confrontational position towards Russia.

“What we need – that may sound martial – you need to act from the point of view of the Bundeswehr, an enemy,” said the FDP politician to the editorial network Germany. In the last few years of the appeasement policy, Russia was no longer perceived as such.

“Now we know what an enemy might look like, in this case looks like. And that’s why NATO has to be adapted to the topic of China, what’s happening with Iran, how do we continue to deal with Russia,” said Strack-Zimmermann. “That means you need an image of a possible enemy who wants to eliminate our freedom and democracy. And that’s what we’re seeing right now.” Based on this, a Bundeswehr would then be rebuilt or built up.