Germany adopted National Security Strategy: Russia is biggest threat

Chancellor Olaf Scholz presented the adopted National Security Strategy of the country, in which Russia was recognized as the greatest threat to the world.

This was reported by Der Spiegel.

According to the Chancellor, Germany's political environment in the field of security has changed significantly over the past year and a half, referring to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the attack on the Nord Stream pipeline.

"Security in the twenty-first century is more than military action and diplomacy. Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine has shown that peace and freedom do not fall from the sky. Germany's security challenges permeate all spheres of life. This applies, for example, to medicines, but also to cyberspace and water purity," added Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.

According to the approved Security Strategy, in the future, external and internal threats should be considered together. In addition to military threats, this also includes cyber-attacks or attacks on critical infrastructure and climate change.

The document also states that "today's Russia is the greatest threat to peace and security in the Euro-Atlantic region for the near future”.

The concept of the National Security Strategy consists of three main points:

• defense: a confirmed goal of spending 2% of GDP on defense;

• resilience: the basic free-democratic order must be better protected from illegitimate external influences;

• perseverance: quick action should help avoid crises or mitigate their consequences. This also applies to climate, biodiversity, ecosystems, and food security.

In particular, in the area of defense, there will be measures to strengthen protection against espionage and sabotage, harmonize European arms export controls, and expand cyber and space capabilities.

Author – Anastasiya Glotova, 14/06/2023