Latest news with #CarstenBreuer
Asharq Al-Awsat
06-07-2025
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
EU to Stockpile Critical Minerals Over War Risk
Brussels says it will build up emergency stockpiles of critical minerals and cable repair kits as concerns mount over the EU's vulnerability to attack. 'The EU faces an increasingly complex and deteriorating risk landscape marked by rising geopolitical tensions, including conflict, the mounting impacts of climate change, environmental degradation, and hybrid and cyber threats,'' the European Commission said in a draft document setting out a stockpiling strategy, seen by the Financial Times. Member states should co-ordinate backup supplies of food, medicines and even nuclear fuel, the EU executive said. It would also accelerate work on EU-level stockpiles of items such as cable repair modules 'to ensure prompt recovery from energy or optical cable disruptions' and commodities such as rare earths and permanent magnets, which are crucial for energy and defense systems. Several instances of potential sabotage to underwater communication cables and gas pipelines in recent years have caused concern about the vulnerability of critical infrastructure. The strategy is part of a wider push by the EU to improve the security and resilience of the 27-country bloc. Last month, General Carsten Breuer, the German chief of defense, warned that Russia could attack an EU member state within the next four years. The higher-risk environment was driven by ''increased activity from hacktivists, cybercriminals and state-sponsored groups,' the document said. The EU is also more susceptible than many other regions to the effects of climate change as it is warming twice as fast as the global average. Wildfires in Crete forced 5,000 people to evacuate the island this week. In a report commissioned by the EU in October, former Finnish president Sauli Niinistö said that security should be considered a 'public good' and called for a preparedness mindset. On stockpiling, he said that Brussels should 'define targets to ensure minimum levels of preparedness in different crisis scenarios, including in the event of an armed aggression or the large-scale disruption of global supply chains.' The EU in March also advised households to stockpile essential supplies to survive at least 72 hours of crisis. On Tuesday, the United States announced the launch of a critical minerals initiative with Australia, India and Japan as part of efforts to counter China. In a joint statement after talks in Washington, the countries' foreign ministers said they were launching the Quad Critical Minerals Initiative, which they called an "ambitious expansion of our partnership to strengthen economic security and collective resilience by collaborating to secure and diversify critical minerals supply chains."
Irish Times
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Letters to the Editor, June 18th: On Russia's military strength, Mayo and getting shirty with T-shirts
Sir, – Senator Tom Clonan questions 'received views' about the potential of a Russian military attack on an EU member state in the coming years (Letters, June 17th). He warns against 'a growing clamour for an offensive posture within Europe – from a collective of voices who for the most part have zero experience of armed conflict themselves'. Senator Clonan should listen more closely to the assessments of General Seán Clancy who is the former chief of staff of the Defence Forces and the present chairman of the EU Military Committee. At a speech in Brussels last month General Clancy warned that the EU faced 'acute and growing threats' from Russia and likely had 'limited space and time to react … to be prepared to deter any similar attacks on the Union, our populations and our democratic way of life.' READ MORE General Clancy's words echo those of Germany's chief of defence. General Carsten Breuer recently observed that Russia was accelerating the arming of its forces to an 'enormous extent', producing close to 1,500 main battle tanks every year, and warned that 'there's an intent and there's a build up of the stocks' for a possible future attack on the EU's Baltic member states. Senator Clonan assumes that the EU – with its considerable economic might – would come to the aid of a member state if it is attacked. It is unlikely that the Hungarian government or that of Slovakia, both of whom enjoy close ties to Moscow, would do much to help in the event of a Russian invasion. The European political landscape is shifting – scepticism towards European defence and Nato is on the rise in some countries; the outcome of elections and the political fortunes of the far-right in countries such as France, Germany and Italy are anything but predictable. It is perfectly rational that countries such as Poland and the Baltics, with EU assistance, wish to rapidly increase their defence capabilities now, lest future European divisions create an opportunity for Russia to invade or fundamentally subvert their democracies. Deterrence is the best way to avoid war in the face of an aggressive regime with no respect for international law. Given Russia's invasion of Ukraine, attacks on European critical infrastructure, assassination plots in EU member states and attempts to spread disinformation to influence elections, there is nothing 'offensive' about that. – Yours, etc, DR EDWARD BURKE, Assistant professor in the history of war since 1945, UCD, Dublin 4. A dangerous escalation Sir, – Israel's attack on Iran marks yet another dangerous escalation by a nuclear-armed regime already responsible for ongoing genocide in Gaza, ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, and attacks on Lebanon and Syria. One may view Iran's internal politics and social structure with deep distaste-abhorrence, even, but still recognise its right to defend itself from what is clearly the greatest threat to regional security: Israel's repeated violations of international law, carried out with full backing from Western powers. The bankruptcy of the West's position is staggering. The EU, which likes to see itself as a principled defender of human rights, has long since forfeited credibility. Who in China or the Global South could be expected to take seriously any Western lectures on international norms or human rights? – Yours, etc, SÉAMUS WHITE, Stoneybatter, Dublin 7. Sir, – Martin McDonald complains that 'the Knesset was not consulted or informed in advance of the attack on Iran', which he says is evidence that Israel is a 'rogue state' (Letters, June 16th). Surely Mr McDonald is aware that in virtually every democracy in the world, the deployment of military force, short of a formal declaration of war, is a decision reserved to the executive/government without parliamentary approval? The reason for this is simply that military action against an adversary would hardly be of much impact if the plans had been publicised in advance in parliamentary debates. The United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and virtually all member states of the European Union follow this principle. Are all of these countries 'rogue states'? Even here in Ireland, our constitution does not require parliamentary approval before the government deploys our armed forces. It's only through the 'triple lock' legislation put in place by the Oireachtas that our Government's hands are bound, by giving Russia and China an equal say in the deployment of Irish troops. Who did the leaders of Hamas and Iran inform or consult before they launched their initial unprovoked attacks on Israel? Terrorist organisations and dictatorships don't need to bother with trifling notions like democratic accountability, and yet Israel's critics consistently seek to hold it to a higher standard than its enemies and every other democratic country in the world. – Yours, etc., BARRY WALSH, Clontarf, Dublin 3. Sir, – We have become desensitised to the daily accounts of slaughter from Gaza. Despite this we need to constantly remind ourselves that what we are witnessing, in real time, is ethnic cleansing . The current US ambassador to Israel speaks openly of the removal of an entire population from Gaza. The two state solution is no longer official US policy. Attendees at the cancelled planned summit to revive the two state approach have been informed that it does not align with US interests. In recent debates on the Occupied Territories Bill and the Central Bank facilitating the sale of Israeli bonds, Government representatives have repeatedly emphasised the importance of the EU acting with a unified response to the tragedy unfolding in Gaza. We are told that protesting in a unified manner is the most effective approach. In stark contrast, EU Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, shows no such concern for a united response. This is the second occasion on which she has taken it upon herself, to speak on behalf of the EU, on this occasion regarding Israel's attack on Iran. For whom does von der Leyen speak when she makes pronouncements of this sort? Is she speaking for the Irish Government or the Irish people, when she excuses the latest phase of Netanyahu's 'forever war'? What level of depravity must be reached, before our Government sets aside talk of 'pragmatic realism' and 'EU competencies', says on behalf of the Irish people that what we are witnessing is simply morally wrong, and acts accordingly? – Yours, etc, DES SMITH, Dundrum, Dublin. Reluctant US presidents Sir, – William Taft was a reluctant US president. His life's ambition was to be chief justice. But his wife's ambition for him was the presidency. So it was that he served a single term from 1909 and had to wait until 1921 for the appointment he craved. Taft gave short shrift to the suggestion that he make another run for the White House in 1916. He said that former presidents have no place there and that it were better that they be given 'a dose of chloroform or the fruit of the lotus tree' to 'secure the country from the troublesome fear that the occupant could ever come back'. Maybe he was on to something. – Yours, etc, PAT O'BRIEN, Rathmines, Dublin 6. Travel bans and Australia Sir, – Many countries have now banned their citizens from travelling to Israel or at least advised them not to visit unless they have to since they probably wouldn't be able to help you if there were problems. Like many, I have been lucky enough to visit Israel in quieter times and would recommend going there, but not for a while, perhaps quite a while. It's sad that there are so many countries that are not really safe to visit, mainly because of armed conflicts and sometimes natural disasters. In the meantime, why not visit Australia? We're friendly and have plenty to see. You can ignore all the stories of snakes, spiders, deadly jellyfish and now mushrooms, not that many people get killed that way. – Yours, etc, DENNIS FITZGERALD, Melbourne, Australia. The price of houses Sir, – I note PwC has made a budget submission to the Department of Finance (' Reform residential zoned land to help save 'housing puzzle', say PwC ,' June 10th ) requesting the Government to temporarily reduce the 13.5 per cent VAT rate on construction 'specifically targeted at new, affordable houses and apartments for first-time buyers'. It was stated that the average cost of a three-bed, semi-detached house in the greater Dublin area is €408,000 which includes VAT of €48,478 and that a temporary reduction would be 'an effective measure to enable viability and increase affordability of newly developed residential property'. Implicit in this argument is that the removal of the VAT element would result in a reduction of the sale price to €359,522. Ig only that were so. The reality is that if the market price of a property is €408,000 then that is the price that will be paid for the property. If the VAT element is removed from the price it has no bearing on the market value of the property. And if the market will bear the sum of €408,000 then that is the price that will be charged. In effect, the removal of €48,478 would result in that sum going directly to the bottom line of the developer. In the recent past there have been reductions in VAT charged in the hospitality sector, but there was little or no expectation that those reductions would be passed on to consumers. The argument was made that in a post-Covid environment, with rising energy and employments costs, the hospitality sector was struggling and required State assistance. Whatever description can be applied to the construction sector, struggling is not one that immediately springs to mind. – Yours, etc, PAUL WALSH, Skerries, Co Dublin. Easy on the Mayo Sir, – Gerry Thornley's comparison of Leinster Rugby to the Mayo Gaelic football team, in discussing Leinster's 'remarkable success,' is a curious one. A die-hard Mayo supporter would only consider winning Sam Maguire, the sport's top prize, as remarkable success. In any case, equating Leinster – a team packed with centrally contracted internationals, galácticos and vast resources – to a county like Mayo is unfair. Mayo's footballers represent a rural county with a smaller population than its main rivals. They train and play with enormous heart and have done so for decades. Time and again, they have come to Croke Park and delivered passionate, monster performances. They have won many big games there in contrast to Caelan Doris saying that at least he, as a Mayo man, has won in Croke Park. If Gerry Thornley is seeking a more appropriate comparison, perhaps he should look closer to home: both Leinster and the Irish national rugby team have often struggled to deliver when it matters most, despite possessing the talent and infrastructure to succeed. Rather than telling us that coming up short repeatedly is actually 'remarkable success', perhaps this might be a more worthwhile and fruitful line of inquiry. – Yours, etc, REAMONN O'LUAN, Churchtown, Dublin. Sir, – The latest misfortune to afflict the intrepid Mayo football team would suggest that they might change the name of the team from Maigh Eo ( Mayo) to Mí-ádh. Mí-ádh Abú! – Yours, etc PEADAR MAC MÁGHNAIS, Howth Road, Dublin. Getting shirty with T-shirts Sir, – As I read Rosita Boland's column ( Was it just me who found the slogans on two men's T-shirts so inappropriate? , June 16th ) I clung to the hope that by the end of the column the matter of two T-shirts with their 'clearly visible provocative wording' would at some point in the piece become a joking event for Miss Boland – and for the reader! I hoped in vain. I mean – as young people like to say: 'Really!' 'Seriously!' I would add 'surely you're joking': Miss Boland's reaction to these T-shirt slogans is extreme and does not make sense. 'Begging for a Pegging' and 'Please be 18' (the wording on the T-shirts): it is young people (men in this case) just being young and loose in their way. Many would not even notice, and those who did would give the matter a yawn. Or maybe a laugh! Characterising the shirts as a public billboard and inappropriate for an airport terminal and 'sexual preferences spelt out' (what is wrong with declaring one's sexual preference?). Miss Boland also puts these slogans, in the context of of 'racism and homophobia'. Declaring children at the airport as in danger of some sort because of these shirts, is nonsense and bizarre. We expect young people to demonstrate what is sometimes childish behaviour, as a means of expressing themselves – of being loose and light. And dare I say happy. We have an expression in New York city – one used frequently by famous New Yorker, Judge Judy. The word is: 'Who Cares'. In a city of eight million people, this is a valuable resource used to keep issues in perspective. A response of this magnitude to something as trivial as slogans on some shirts: All that's left to say is Who Cares. – Yours, etc, PADDY FITZPATRICK, Cathedral Ave, Cork. Sir, – Rosita Boland 'Was it just me who found the slogans on two men's T-shirts so inappropriate?' states 'I have zero interest in seeing adults' personal sexual preferences literally spelt out for all to see.' She will be hard pressed not to see such preferences during Pride month. – Yours, etc, PAT NAUGHTON, Lucan. Co Dublin Sir, – Regarding Rosita Boland's article: I am seriously thinking of having a customised T-shirt made with the slogan: I read and love/ Rosita Boland's Opinions. – Yours, etc, GERRY MORAN, Coote's Lane, Kilkenny.
Time of India
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
World War 3: From tanks to shelters, how Germany preparing for a global war on 115th anniv of WW 1 with Operation Deutschland
Germany, which ignited both World War I and World War II, is now preparing for the possibility of another major conflict—this time, fearing an attack from Russia. Germany is now fearing that the war could erupt in 2029—exactly 115 years after Germany declared war on Russia in 1914. According to multiple reports, Germany is taking urgent steps to expand and modernize its network of bunkers and civil defense shelters amid growing concerns that Russia could launch an assault on a NATO member within the next four years. Instead of building new structures—which would be time-consuming and expensive—Germany is focusing on repurposing existing spaces such as metro stations, tunnels, underground garages, and public building basements to provide shelter for civilians. The goal is to quickly accommodate up to one million people in case of an emergency. 'For a long time, there was a widespread belief in Germany that war was not a scenario for which we needed to prepare. That has changed,' Ralph Tiesler, head of the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK), told Süddeutsche Zeitung, as quoted by The Guardian. 'We are concerned about the risk of a major war of aggression in Europe .' Germany's Chief of Defence, General Carsten Breuer, recently told the BBC that Russia is manufacturing hundreds of tanks each year—enough to pose a serious threat to NATO countries in the Baltic region by 2029 or sooner. Live Events Germany currently has around 2,000 Cold War-era bunkers, but fewer than 600—precisely 580—are functional. These could shelter roughly 480,000 people, less than 1% of the population. In contrast, Finland has built about 50,000 protection rooms capable of housing 4.8 million people, covering nearly 85% of its citizens, according to BBK data. Tiesler said his agency is working on a national plan to identify and convert suitable spaces, with a full strategy expected later this summer. 'New construction would take too long and cost too much,' he said. 'We're in a race against time.' Germany's broader military posture is also shifting. A classified dossier dubbed Operation Deutschland or Oplan—first reported by Sky News—details how the country would safeguard critical infrastructure, mobilize NATO troops, and prepare for war scenarios. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Germany has increased its defense spending and readiness. A €100 billion fund was announced that year to re-equip the Bundeswehr. In 2024, Germany committed to meet NATO's 2% defense spending target for the first time since the 1990s. As of now, the Bundeswehr has just over 179,000 troops—making it the sixth largest force in NATO, behind the US, Turkey, Poland, France, and the UK. But German leaders have set an ambitious goal: expanding troop numbers to 203,000 by 2031. Across Europe, similar concerns are sparking action. Poland, which borders both Russia and Ukraine, plans to spend nearly 5% of its GDP on defense this year—more than any other NATO nation, according to the BBC. Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
Free Malaysia Today
09-06-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Germany has 3 years to overhaul military
US President Donald Trump has pushed Nato members to increase their defence spending. (AP pic) BERLIN : Germany's armed forces have three years to acquire the equipment to tackle a possible Russian attack on Nato territory, the head of military procurement said Saturday. Defence spending has risen up the political agenda since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and more recently with the US pushing Nato members to increase their commitments. 'Everything necessary to be fully prepared to defend the country must be acquired by 2028,' Annette Lehnigk-Emden, head of the federal office for military procurement, told the Tagesspiegel newspaper. Germany's chief of defence, general Carsten Breuer, recently warned that Russia could be in a position to 'launch a large-scale attack against Nato territory' as early as 2029. He said there was a Russian build-up of ammunition and tanks for a possible attack on Nato's Baltic members. Lehnigk-Emden said that chancellor Friedrich Merz's new government was enabling the upgrade by allocating hundreds of billions of euros for defence. She said the priority would be for heavy equipment such as Skyranger anti-aircraft tanks. Merz has made rearmament a priority of his coalition government to make German forces 'the most powerful conventional army in Europe'. Rearmament had already begun under the previous government of Olaf Scholz after Russia launched its war in Ukraine. And US President Donald Trump has raised the stakes further this year by pushing Nato members to increase their defence spending to 5% of GDP from the current level of 2%. Defence minister Boris Pistorius said Thursday that 50,000 to 60,000 new soldiers would be needed in the coming years to meet the increased Nato defence needs. Last year, the army had more than 180,000 soldiers and set a goal of exceeding 203,000 by 2031. Germany is meanwhile looking to speed up the establishment of shelters where the population could find refuge in the event of conflict, according to the president of the German Federal Office for Civil Protection, Ralph Tiesler. At the end of last year, the authorities began to catalogue tunnels, subway stations, underground carparks and cellars of public buildings that could be converted into bunkers. 'We are going to create one million shelter places as quickly as possible,' Tiesler told the Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper, indicating that a plan to this effect would be presented this summer.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Germany plans expansion of air raid shelters amid growing Russian threats, official says
Germany is planning to quickly expand it network of air raid shelters and bunkers, in preparation for a potential Russian attack on the country, Ralph Tiesler, the head of the Germany's Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance said. "For a long time, there was a widespread belief in Germany that war was not a scenario for which we needed to prepare. That has changed. We are concerned about the risk of a major war of aggression in Europe," Tiesler told the German Suddeutsche Zeitung news outlet on June 5. Tiesler, the official in charge of civilian protection in Germany, said that only 580 of the country's 2,000 cold war-era bunkers were in working order. In its current condition, the shelters would house 480,000 people, a small fraction of the country's population that total 83 million people. "We must quickly create space for 1 million people," Tiesler said. "Existing structures must be assessed and adapted without delay," warning that solely constructing new shelters would take too long. The focus on revamping shelters comes amid ongoing fears that Russia may attack a NATO country within the next decade. Germany's Defense Chief Carsten Breuer told BBC on June 1 that allies need to be prepared for an attack within the next four years. "There's an intent and there's a build up of the stocks," Breuer said. "This is what the analysts are assessing - in 2029. So we have to be ready by 2029... If you ask me now, is this a guarantee that's not earlier than 2029? I would say no, it's not. So we must be able to fight tonight." Breuer's comments were the latest in a series of increasingly dire warnings from Western leaders and defense officials about the threat emanating from Russia and Europe's current lack of preparedness. Tiesler said that Germany would need to spend at least 10 billion euros ($11.4 billion) to cover civil defense needs over the next four years, and 30 billion euros ($34 billion) over the next 10 years. Tiesler's office is expected to produce a detailed plan to the shelters' expansion, as well as addition civil defense needs this summer. As concerns as to where Russia may launch an initial incursion into NATO territory mount, Russia has continued to restructure its military presence along its Baltic flank. Analysts and military experts believe that Russia may launch on initial attack on a country in the Baltic Sea region, given its strategic positioning and surroundings, including the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. Read also: Russian Baltic Sea provocations 'increasing threat of accidental military incidents,' Latvian intelligence says We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
