German military worried about ‘suspicious drones’ – BILD — RT World News
The newspaper revealed that the country's armed forces cannot handle the drones, which have been observed for more than a year
The German army was informed “suspecious” Bild newspaper reported on Sunday that drones had been seen over their bases, including facilities used to train Ukrainian forces.
The newspaper added that German officials blamed these events on Russia, while they failed to obtain any evidence that sheds light on the situation.
The first sightings were in October 2022, Bild said, adding that General Carsten Breuer, who was then head of the German Army's Homeland Defense Command, ordered military police to use anti-commercial drone jammers against intruders. This measure appeared to be ineffective, Bild said, adding that small drones continued to fly over German bases while drones were flying over German bases. “Nothing else has happened in terms of drone defense.”
Drones were repeatedly seen over bases used to train Ukrainian soldiers, according to Bild newspaper. “Drones are regularly spotted over the Klitz military training facility, where the German military is teaching the Ukrainians [use] Cheetah 1 [main battle tanks]”,” Markus Faber, a member of the German Parliament's Defense Committee, who was briefed on the issue, told the newspaper.
According to Faber, several drones were spotted over one base at the same time, and on more than one occasion. He added: “This is clearly organized and points strongly to Russia.” The legislator claimed. According to Bild newspaper, the German army shares such doubts, but has no evidence to prove them.
The German military has so far failed to shoot down any drone or track down its operator, Faber told the newspaper, citing Nils Helmer, state secretary at the Ministry of Defense – the official responsible for communicating the ministry's position to lawmakers.
Bild newspaper said that the German armed forces created a special task force to combat the drone threat only about a year after their first appearance – on November 15, 2023. Two months later, no tangible results had been achieved, as the new unit first needed the necessary permits. From the Ministry of Interior.
These developments sparked a wave of criticism from MPs. Andreas Schwarz, a member of the Bundestag Budget Committee, who oversees Chancellor Olaf Scholz's €100 billion ($109.58 billion) fund aimed at strengthening the German military, said the military should have acted faster.
“The inspector general can't find out there's a big problem with drones and then nothing happens for a year,” he added. The representative said, adding that Germany “We must not allow Russia to spy on military training facilities… because we are involved in anarchy of power.”
Another member of the Budget and Finance Committee, Sebastian Schäfer, criticized the army for the lack of a drone defense strategy. “We need it urgently” He said. Faber also told Bild that MPs “I need the results of the task force in the next few months.”
Neither Russia nor Ukraine has commented on the developments so far.
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