André Wüstner, chair of the German Bundeswehr Association, warned that the United States and other countries are too focused on the Iran conflict, risking gaps in NATO’s deterrence against Russia. “We must not keep concentrating solely on the U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran” he told the “Rheinische Post”. “Even with our interests in that region, the greatest threat to our peaceful and free lives remains Russia”.
Wüstner dismissed reliance on Trump as an ally, calling the idea that 2029 could serve as a fixed point for evaluating Russian threat “optimistic wish‑fulfilment”. He argued that the danger exists today and grows daily; Trump’s conduct and Europe’s military weakness have created an “deterrence gap” that must be closed urgently. He cautioned that President Vladimir Putin could exploit the situation in his offensive war against Ukraine and his aggressions toward NATO members.
According to Wüstner, Putin is increasingly granted a “window of opportunity”. Strengthened by new oil‑sale revenues and hampered Ukrainian air‑defence supply, he could intensify brutal attacks on infrastructure and civilians. The sense of uncertainty among Atlantic allies might also embolden him to amplify hybrid attacks, possibly including incursions below the Article 5 threshold along NATO’s eastern flank.
To bolster deterrence, Wüstner urged the federal government to consider training Ukrainian soldiers on the Taurus missile system. “Even in the absence of actual combat, doing so would reinforce deterrence and lend credibility to diplomatic efforts for a cease‑fire with Russia” he said.
He also called for a markedly faster pace in Germany’s re‑armament, even to the point of preparing a form of war‑economy. “The defence industry must scale up production more rapidly, ideally shifting to multi‑shift operations, and together with the federal government design a ‘kick‑down’ plan to transition into a war‑economy if escalation continues” Wüstner said. “Western Europeans are already talking about a pre‑war phase and are accelerating their defensive capabilities. We must do the same now”.