Boris Pistorius was received in Washington on June 28 by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
Image: AP
The Germans must finally learn to deal with the military again. The secretary of defense helps. But he can’t do magic.
VDefense Minister Boris Pistorius recently caused a surprise. The minister announced last week that Germany would permanently station a brigade in Lithuania. 4,000 Bundeswehr soldiers who are to live with their families in the Baltic States for a while. The Lithuanian side has wanted this for a long time, the Germans were reluctant. The Social Democrat, who had gained a lot of experience as a state politician by the time he was promoted to Federal Minister of Defence, but did not seem to be sitting at the top of the reserve bench for federal political assignments, likes to do it that way. With outward calm, he goes a step further than many expected.
Even Boris Pistorius can’t do magic. In the announcement of a brigade for Lithuania, the minister included enough brake pedals to delay the process. If the NATO commander-in-chief for Europe has other plans for the German soldiers, this must be taken into account. If the Lithuanians don’t provide the infrastructure for the troops and their families quickly enough, that’s also an impeding factor.
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