Navy chief: Moscow's fleet is superior to us in many areas
Germany's Navy Chief warns of Russia's growing strength in the Baltic Sea. Vice Admiral Kaack states that Germany is currently inferior to Moscow's warships. To deter Russia, Germany, along with five other NATO partners in the Baltic Sea region, intend to expand their cooperation in the procurement of sea mines as a deterrent weapon.
German and five other NATO partners in the Baltic Sea area aim to strengthen their collaboration in the acquisition of sea mine systems as a deterrent. Government representatives signed an intentional declaration in Washington prior to the NATO summit with the goal of jointly purchasing and maintaining the systems.
"They are a very effective way to deter an aggressor at sea, and they are an extremely important capability in the face of Russian aggression," said Defense Minister Boris Pistorius at the meeting. And: "Procurement is deterrence." The purchase of a Finnish sea mine system is mentioned. Participants in the cooperation besides Germany include Denmark, Finland, Norway, Poland, and Sweden.
Kaack sees no weakening of the Russians in the Baltic Sea
Meanwhile, the Inspector of the German Navy, Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack, warned of a significant Russian buildup in the Baltic Sea region. "It's a fallacy that the Russian military forces in the maritime sector here above have weakened from the Ukrainian war," Kaack said at the Warnowwerft Marine Arsenal in Rostock. While there have been losses for Russia in the Black Sea, "we see just as clearly that the construction rates and delivery of ships with high-potent weapons have not decreased at all."
Moreover, Russia has significantly invested in communication, navigation, and attack capabilities underwater in the past ten years. "They are superior to us in many areas," warned the Vice Admiral. Russian research vessels have also been moving openly near the critical maritime infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. The German Navy is therefore building an underwater command center in Rostock to counter potential threats. It is expected to be operational by October 1.
German Navy aims to expand capabilities
In recent months, several NATO countries in the Baltic Sea have complained about increased military Russian activities. This includes the removal of border markers towards Estonia, disruptions of navigation signals in the eastern Baltic Sea, and maneuvers of suspected Russian submarines near Swedish or Danish waters.
In response to the threat situation, the German Navy plans to make its maintenance and repair capabilities "combat-ready" within a few years. The leader of the Marine-Arsenal Warnowwerft, Rainer Sacher, announced this during a visit by the Federal Government's Eastern Policy Coordinator, Carsten Schneider. "This means, for example, that we must massively expand the docking capacities of the Marine-Arsenal," Sacher said. The entire maintenance and repair of military ships must be resilient.
Despite Vice Admiral Kaack's warnings of Russia's growing strength in the Baltic Sea, the German Navy and five other NATO partners are boosting their cooperative efforts in acquiring sea mine systems as a deterrent. Russia, however, continues to strengthen its military presence in the region, with Vice Admiral Kaack acknowledging Russia's significant buildup and investments in underwater capabilities. In response, the German Navy is planning to enhance its maintenance and repair capabilities to bolster its combat readiness.
