Chancellor Olaf Scholz is considering setting up a missile defense shield for the whole of Germany based on the Israeli model. “That’s definitely one of the things we’re discussing, for good reason,” said the SPD politician on Sunday in the ARD program “Anne Will” when asked whether a protective shield against rocket attacks like the one in Israel was stretched across the country shall be.
To justify the possible billion-euro project, he said with a view to Russia: “We all have to prepare for the fact that we have a neighbor who is currently willing to use violence to assert his interests. That’s why we have to make ourselves so strong together that is omitted.”
Scholz did not want to comment on the details yet. “I have decided not to divulge the details of a plan that has not yet been fully discussed here.”
About the plan had the picture on sunday previously reported. After that, the acquisition of the Israeli “Arrow 3” system is being considered. It is capable of destroying long-range missiles very high above the Earth, well into the stratosphere, the second of five layers of Earth’s atmosphere. The Bundeswehr has not yet been able to do this.
No tax increases
The costs would be loud BamS are two billion euros. The system would be operational by 2025. After the start of the Ukraine war, Scholz announced a 100 billion euro program to upgrade the German armed forces. On Wednesday he discussed this with Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht and Inspector General Eberhard Zorn.
Scholz rejected tax increases to finance the consequences of the war and reaffirmed the validity of the debt brake. He referred to the agreements of the traffic light parties in their coalition agreement. “We have reached an agreement in the coalition between the three parties on the issues of both the debt brake and the issue of tax increases. And all three will ultimately stick to them.”
Scholz threatened Russian President Vladimir Putin with “dramatic measures” if chemical weapons were used. “The use of biological and chemical weapons must not take place and that is why we are all so explicit, so explicit on this issue,” he said. There are already considerations about such measures, said Scholz, but did not become more specific. However, he made it clear that even if Russia used chemical or biological weapons, NATO would not enter the war over Ukraine. “NATO will not become a party to the war, that’s clear.”