“Militarism is, nonetheless, not solely a method of defence and a weapon towards the exterior enemy; it has a second job, which comes increasingly into prominence with the sharpening of sophistication contradictions and the expansion of proletarian class-consciousness. Thus, the outer type of militarism and its inside character are increasingly exactly decided: it has the duty of defending the prevailing social order, of supporting capitalism and all response towards the wrestle of the working class for freedom” (Karl Liebknecht, “Militarism and Anti-Militarism,” 1907).
German militarism is assuming more and more menacing proportions at residence. Nearly unnoticed by the general public, the newly established Territorial Management Command (TerrFüKdoBw) of the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) started its work on October 1.
Put into service by Protection Minister Christine Lambrecht and Inspector Common Eberhard Zorn, the command is a part of the great battle offensive that’s to make Germany a number one navy energy once more after two catastrophic world wars within the twentieth century. It has two important duties: to conduct and coordinate all Bundeswehr operations inside Germany, and serve to mobilize troops for battle operations, most instantly for the NATO offensive towards Russia.
The command’s headquarters is the Julius Leber barracks in Berlin. Based on the day-order from Lambrecht and Zorn, which was issued on June 13, the Territorial Management Command is “chargeable for the operational administration of nationwide forces within the context of homeland safety, together with official and catastrophe aid and civil-military cooperation.” On the similar time, it “takes over the duties because the ‘mobilisation command’ for nationwide deployments in accordance with NATO plans inside the framework of nationwide and alliance protection.”
Along with the so-called Territorial Reserve, which has the accountability for Homeland Safety, and a associated coaching organisation, the next models are subordinate to the command: the Multinational Command Operative Management, the Multinational Civil-Navy Cooperation Command (MN CIMIC Cmd) Nienburg/Weser, the guard battalion on the Federal Ministry of Defence (WachBtl BMVg), the 16 State Instructions (LKdo) and the troop coaching floor instructions North, East and South with their respective troop coaching bases.
On the official inauguration of the command on September 26 in Berlin, Lambrecht and Zorn left little question as to what was at stake. “With immediately’s inauguration, we’re taking a vital step on this new epoch. We’re strengthening the Bundeswehr’s operational readiness,” mentioned the Minister of Defence. “The brand new command management will assist us to make even higher, sooner and extra coordinated choices sooner or later. It additionally strengthens our capability to guide—in peace in addition to in disaster and battle.”
Lambrecht justified the institution of the command with the “brutal Russian battle of aggression towards Ukraine.” It was a “seen and efficient response to the Russian invasion.” That is nothing however the typical propaganda. The truth is, the so-called “new epoch”—together with the €100 billion Bundeswehr Particular Fund and NATO’s navy build-up towards Russia—was ready effectively prematurely.
The principle aggressor is just not Moscow, however the imperialist powers. With the systematic navy encirclement of Russia, NATO provoked the reactionary intervention of the Putin regime and is now escalating the battle to subjugate the resource-rich nation. Germany’s ruling class can be pursuing the purpose of building itself as a number one European energy and forming unbiased German-European navy constructions with a view to pursue its world pursuits.
Zorn admitted this unreservedly in his personal remarks. For the German Armed Forces, the “new epoch” meant “constantly persevering with the give attention to the core mission of the state and alliance protection, which had already begun in 2014.” He continued, “Pace and decisive motion in any respect ranges” are “greater than ever the crucial of the hour.” This is able to require “operationally prepared strike forces on stand-by.” On the similar time, you will need to “fulfil our missions in worldwide disaster administration and in administrative help.”
By “standby functionality” the German navy management understands the quickest and most complete mobilization of society for complete battle. Within the considerably cryptic navy language of the Inspector Common, it’s described as follows:
“The additional growth of the Territorial Duties Command right into a Territorial Management Command now improves the framework situations for the fulfilment of advanced duties throughout your entire depth spectrum—from administrative help in peace to hybrid threats to pressure and defence—by bundling competences and management accountability.”
The truth is, the ruling class, which waged an extermination battle towards the Soviet Union within the Second World Conflict with about 30 million useless, is at battle with Russia once more. “A lot of German forces, along with the Allies, guarantee the duty of deterrence on the jap border of allied territory,” boasted Zorn. As well as, Germany “assumes a central job as a part of the so-called hub operate, which serves the liberty of motion inside NATO and our Allied companions.”
The battle offensive overseas requires, as up to now, the great militarization of society at residence. “A key problem on this state safety provision” is “the coordination of the actions and capabilities of state and non-state actors,” Zorn mentioned. The brand new Territorial Management Command will play a central position on this and “enhance in its linking capabilities, interfaces and connecting factors close to the modified scenario.”
The ruling class has lengthy laid the authorized foundations for the deployment of the Bundeswehr domestically. Already the emergency legal guidelines handed in 1968 permit such operations “to push back an imminent hazard to the existence or the liberal democratic fundamental order of the Federation” (Artwork. 87a of the Primary Regulation). The German Armed Forces white paper, adopted in 2016, explicitly states that the armed forces can “additionally carry out sovereign duties in assist of the police forces by exercising powers of intervention and coercion.”
With the brand new command, a centralized organizational construction will now be created with a view to use the navy as an inner pressure of order and, if obligatory, to suppress social protests and revolutionary struggles by pressure. For this goal, explicitly navy models, which manage the NATO mobilisation towards Russia and different battle operations, will likely be merged with the “civilian” navy constructions. The result’s a brand new German navy state.
On the finish of his remarks, Zorn gave a sign of how far this course of has already progressed. “For years,” he mentioned, “a complete civil-military community has been constructed up in any respect ranges—from the Chancellery to the municipalities.” The nationwide command will deliver collectively “components” that “functionally or on the bottom have been cooperating carefully for years” and place them below the authority of a “nationwide territorial commander.”
The overall additionally talked about the home-guard regiments oriented in direction of right-wing extremist forces, which might “proceed to develop based on plan” and “contribute considerably to the coaching and integration of reserves.” As well as, the Territorial Management Command “primarily based on the expertise of the COVID disaster crew” will “present the nucleus for a disaster crew of the Federal Authorities.”
The World Socialist Net Web site already warned initially of the Bundeswehr’s so-called “COVID operation”: “However no matter how a lot rapid medical help the Bundeswehr offers, the operation finally serves a unique goal. Main generals are brazenly declaring that the important thing problem is imposing military-police management over the inhabitants and defending the establishments of the capitalist state.”
This evaluation has now been confirmed. Considerably, the brand new command is led by Lieutenant Common Carsten Breuer, who beforehand headed the federal authorities’s COVID disaster unit. In his new operate as so-called Nationwide Territorial Commander, he’s a type of navy dictator on name.
His new command serves to “deliver procedures into one hand, to deliver management into one hand and thus to make [the whole] way more stringent and way more efficient …,” Breuer defined in a Bundeswehr podcast. Solely “the interaction of efficient forces, of a command, which is successfully led, but in addition of well-established troops can finally result in success in an operation, … in a disaster and even in battle.”
The rising home affect of the navy is a severe warning, particularly within the context of German historical past. The ruling class beforehand used the navy as an instrument of repression through the German Empire, the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich. It’s now making ready to take action as soon as once more. That is its response to the deepest disaster of capitalism for the reason that Thirties, which is being exacerbated by the social and political results of the coronavirus pandemic and the NATO battle offensive towards Russia.
