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German defence minister: Damage to Baltic Sea cables likely sabotage

German Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius during a visit to OCCAR-EA, the European Organization for Joint Armaments Co-operation (OCCAR) on November 15, 2024 at North Rhine-Westphalia, Bonn | Photo: Thomas Banneyer/dpa

Damage to submarine communication cables between new NATO members Finland and Sweden and their alliance partners Germany and Lithuania was likely sabotage, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Tuesday. “No one believes that these cables were cut by mistake,” Pistorius said in Brussels at an EU defence ministers meeting to discuss the different threats facing the European Union.

Trump nominates TV host for Secretary of Defense

Trump's nominee for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth | Photo: Pete Hegseth

The nomination of a television program co-host with credentials lighter than a feather, for the senior cabinet position of Secretary of Defense, will make it easier to side-line or remove senior military officers whom Trump has said he would fire for being ‘woke.’

German Cabinet approves new military service model to boost numbers

File Photo: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (r) and Boris Pistorius, German Minister of Defence, talk at the start of the German Cabinet meeting on June 12, 2024 in Berlin. Germany's Cabinet approved legislation introducing a new form of military service on November 06, according to government sources | Photo: Kay Nietfeld/dpa

Russia’s war on Ukraine has prompted Germany to revisit its defence posture, which increasingly suffered from a lack of investment since the end of the Cold War as imminent threats appeared to diminish. The legislation must now pass through Germany’s two houses of parliament. It could come into force in May of next year.

German Defence Ministry faces shortfall of €6 billion

German Minister of Defence, Boris Pistorius is pictured during an interview with the German Press Agency (DPA) on November 04, 2024 in Berlin | Photo: Carsten Koall//dpa

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said that the Bundeswehr needs around €58 billion ($63 billion) in 2025 to quickly close capability gaps. “As things stand, we will be allocated around €52 billion”, he said, adding, “That means we will be short of almost €6 billion next year.”