HAMBURG: German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt warned Thursday that Europe was in a “drone arms race” while sounding the alarm about a hostile Russia.
While he spoke in parliament, the German armed forces launched a three-day exercise dubbed “Red Storm Bravo” in the northern port city of Hamburg meant to simulate NATO troop movements in case of conflict in a Baltic country.
Germany, a strong backer of Ukraine against Russia, has seen a rise in unidentified drone flights over military bases and critical infrastructure in recent months.
Dobrindt, citing hybrid threats and “aggression” from Russia, said Germany was strengthening its “operational capabilities by developing drone defense systems.”
“We are engaged in an arms race between the threat posed by drones and the means to counter them,” he said, citing recent incidents in Poland, Romania, Denmark and Norway.
Dobrindt said Germany would boost investment and change its aviation safety rules to allow it to better “detect, defend and intercept” unmanned aerial vehicles.
Berlin accuses Russia of carrying out sabotage, espionage, surveillance and destabilization operations.
But German authorities have so far been reluctant to shoot down drones for fear that debris could cause casualties.
Drone warfare has been a core feature of the Ukraine conflict and NATO countries bordering Russia hope to build a “drone defense wall” — a network of technological and military solutions to counter these aerial threats.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who took office in May, has announced ambitious plans to build up the armed forces, citing the threat posed by Russia.
The military exercise in Hamburg is set to involve around 500 soldiers as well as police, firefighters and other emergency services, and see a convoy of armored vehicles cross through the city.
“In the fictional exercise scenario of Red Storm Bravo, we assume an escalating conflict in the Baltic region,” said a spokeswoman for the German army, or Bundeswehr. “To achieve effective deterrence, troops and personnel will be deployed through Hamburg.”
Away from public view, a drill will simulate a “mass casualty incident” in a harborside area, local media reported.
Protests under the rallying cry “No War Games in Hamburg,” organized by left-wing groups, are expected outside Hamburg’s city hall on Friday and near the central railway station on Saturday.
Germany says Europe in ‘drone arms race’, citing Russia threat
https://arab.news/5hqf7
Germany says Europe in ‘drone arms race’, citing Russia threat
- Germany has seen a rise in unidentified drone flights over military bases and critical infrastructure in recent months
- Dobrindt, citing hybrid threats and “aggression” from Russia, said Germany was strengthening its “operational capabilities by developing drone defense systems“
UN arrives in east DR Congo town to prepare ceasefire mission
- Eastern DRC has been ravaged by three decades of conflict and faces renewed violence
KINSHASA: A team of UN peacekeepers arrived in the flashpoint eastern Democratic Republic of Congo town of Uvira to prepare the deployment of a ceasefire?monitoring mission, the force said Tuesday.
Eastern DRC has been ravaged by three decades of conflict and faces renewed violence following the 2021 resurgence of the M23 armed group, backed by Rwanda and its army.
The M23 seized large swathes of territory in the east and launched an offensive in December on Uvira, a strategic town in South Kivu province near the border with Burundi.
The assault drew condemnation from the United States, which has mediated a fragile peace deal between the DRC and Rwanda.
That agreement provided for the UN’s DRC peacekeeping mission MONUSCO to carry out a field-monitoring operation with a view to implementing a permanent ceasefire.
On Tuesday, MONUSCO and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, a grouping of surrounding countries, said in a statement they had deployed a joint exploratory and preliminary assessment mission to Uvira.
Scheduled to run until Friday, the mission focuses on assessing access, security, logistics and engagement needs, MONUSCO said.
The statement called the mission “an essential step toward deploying the future joint ceasefire?monitoring mechanism.”
In January, the M23 withdrew its last troops from Uvira, claiming it was responding to a US request. The Congolese army said it had retaken control of the town.
