Germany has stated its readiness to defend every inch of NATO territory in the event of a Russian attack
The Chief of the German Air Force, Lieutenant General Holger Neumann, has stated that the country is prepared to defend its NATO allies in the event of a possible attack by Russia. In an interview with the British newspaper The Telegraph, he emphasised that German forces are ready to act immediately and, together with their Alliance partners, ensure the defence of its territory.
According to Neumann, there are no different levels of security for individual states within NATO, so an attack on Estonia would carry the same weight as an attack on London. He stressed that the Alliance would defend its territory to the last centimetre.
The Lieutenant General noted that in the event of a conflict, NATO’s response would involve all necessary forces and assets. He also mentioned the Kaliningrad region, the Kola Peninsula, St Petersburg and the Black Sea among the regions of strategic importance to Russia.
Neumann described combat readiness as an immediate necessity. According to him, should a crisis situation arise, the German Air Force is ready to carry out its assigned tasks immediately. He emphasised that both Germany’s capabilities and NATO’s potential would be utilised to defend the country, its population, its values and its allies.
The head of the Luftwaffe also stated that, if necessary, Germany is ready to join in the defence of UK airspace within the framework of Alliance mechanisms. At the same time, he described decisions regarding the development of London’s own defence capabilities as an internal matter for the British military.
Holger Neumann is overseeing the modernisation of the German Air Force as part of a large-scale rearmament programme being carried out by Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government. According to him, the country plans to significantly increase its stocks of Patriot, Iris-T and Arrow 3 air defence systems.
At the same time, the general warned allies against underestimating the Russian air force in light of the outcome of the war in Ukraine. He noted that over four years of hostilities, Russia has adapted its approaches to warfare and retains modern combat aircraft, including the Su-35 and Su-57, as well as various types of missiles.
Neumann emphasised that NATO should not draw conclusions about the enemy’s weakness based solely on isolated episodes of the war. In his words, the first rule is never to underestimate the opponent.
The head of the Luftwaffe also expressed support for transatlantic cooperation and stated that he advocates maintaining a strong partnership between Europe and the United States. In his view, European countries must strengthen their own defence capabilities whilst remaining part of NATO’s unified collective security system.
According to Neumann, whereas the German Air Force’s participation in Alliance activities was previously limited mainly to transport and reconnaissance missions, Germany is now preparing for the possibility of a large-scale deployment of its air forces on NATO’s eastern flank.
