The General Inspector of the German Armed Forces, Carsten Breuer, suggests that Russia could conduct a military test of NATO no later than 2029. Speaking to the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” (Friday edition), Breuer noted that several indicators-including military upgrades, personnel expansion, and economic and political developments-all point toward this date, while admitting that such an event could occur sooner.
In response to troop withdrawals and ambiguous signals from Washington, both Breuer and his British counterpart, Richard Knighton, reaffirmed NATO’s cohesion, stating that “our problem is in Moscow and nowhere else”. To maintain this capability, Breuer emphasized that Germany requires immediate “Fight-Tonight capability” meaning it must be ready for instant deployment.
Germany and Great Britain bolstered their defense cooperation with the signing of the “Trinity House Agreement” in October 2024. This pact aims to deepen partnerships in deterrence, operational readiness, and defense industry collaboration. During the announcement, the General Inspector and the British Chief of Staff made it clear that their armed forces are presently capable of joint operations; examples include collaborative air monitoring in the Baltics and close coordination within NATO’s maritime force.
Regarding the concept of a European nuclear deterrent involving Germany, Breuer adopted a cautious stance, stating that “new military constructs for this are not necessary initially”. Knighton added that the British nuclear capacity remains fully integrated within the NATO structure.
Separately, Breuer confirmed that the stationing of the Long Range Fires Battalion, planned under US President Biden’s administration, will likely not come to fruition. Calling it a “strategic issue” Breuer explained that the original plan was for the US missiles to bridge the gap until Germany developed its own long-range defense capabilities. Consequently, officials are currently examining “transition solutions” with high urgency, including the procurement of commercially available systems. Breuer was recently in the Pentagon two weeks ago, and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) is scheduled to travel to Washington at the end of the month to advocate for the purchase of Tomahawk cruise missiles.