Germany reshapes military for future warfare, introduces cyber branch

The German government is reorganizing the Bundeswehr's operational command and transforming cyber and information technology into a fully-fledged military branch on par with the navy, air force, and land forces. Defence Minister Boris Pistorius announced the reform plan. The goal is readiness for war.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius insists that the armed forces must be "ready for war," emphasizing that he began the reform with a new army structure. It is expected to be ready this autumn, less than a year after taking office as defence chief.

Euractiv reports that Pistorius presented further points of the Bundeswehr repair plan on Thursday. The reforms will be implemented within the next six months.

The goal is to rebuild the Bundeswehr in its structures so that it is optimally prepared even for the most serious case, (...) in the event of war – Pistorius told reporters.

He added that Germany, the largest economy in the EU, has the duty to assume a leading role in European defence.

- We must ensure that NATO can fulfil its role (in combating threats). This also means (…) calling upon the Bundeswehr to meet a new, old challenge, which is national and allied defence - he argued.

Among the changes introduced by the federal government is the transformation of cyber and information technology into a fully-fledged military branch on par with the Navy, air force, and land forces.

Cyber and information space (CIR) forces are the fourth kind of armed forces. They specialise in electronic warfare and cyber operations, recognition, and protection of electronic infrastructure.

Pistorius explained that the main advantage of unified operational command would be faster decision-making. It will also be a central point of contact for NATO.

The German federal government has planned defence spending for £60 billion this year.

As noted by the German Press Agency, this is a record amount in Germany's history. According to the latest NATO forecasts, Germany's GDP ratio will reach 2.01 percent.

"No one should think about attacking NATO territory," emphasized Pistorius on Thursday. This is exactly why changes in the Bundeswehr were initiated.