This article was originally published on Twitter/X.
The Osnabrück decree, which Defense Minister Boris Pistorius signed on Tuesday, and which came into force on May 1, has one central goal: making Germany fit for war again, despite its crimes in two world wars, by preparing for war against Russia.
Already at the beginning of the year, Pistorius stated in several interviews that Germany must be prepared to wage a direct war against the nuclear-armed power Russia in the “next three to five years.” The decree is intended to lay the foundations for this.
“With this decree, we are further aligning the top-level structure and the leadership organisation of the Federal Ministry of Defence and the Bundeswehr (Armed Forces) with a war-ready Bundeswehr for the new era,” says the decree signed by Pistorius.
One of the most important elements of the decree is the creation of a central management structure (“planning and operational management from a single source”) and the establishment of processes that “are largely based on the factors of speed, information superiority and resilience.”
Among other things, the inspector general will convene a Military Leadership Council (MFR) to “discuss common matters of fundamental importance for the armed forces” and to “ensure joint military decision-making by the armed forces.”
This signifies nothing less than the return of the General Staff, which was banned after the criminal role of the German military leadership in the two world wars. Now it is being reestablished and civilian control of the army is being removed.
The decree leaves no doubt that the ruling class has decided to wage full-scale war again, using masses of young people as cannon fodder for its imperialist interests.
In this way, the “ability of the armed forces to grow up” must be ensured. This also includes “establishing readiness in the event of an activation of compulsory military service, whether by declaring a state of defence or as part of a political decision in basic operations.”
The entire decree underlines that “military prowess” externally, as in the past, goes hand in hand with the militarisation of society internally. Among other things, the decree provides for the creation of a Civil Leadership Council (ZFR), which is closely coordinated with the MFR.
What the ruling class is working on is currently evident on the war fronts in the Middle East and in Ukraine. In Gaza, Berlin supports Israel’s genocide of the Palestinians, which is an integral component of the imperialist subjugation of the entire region.
In Ukraine, the NATO-armed Zelensky regime has already sacrificed hundreds of thousands of people at the front. Socialist opponents of war such as Bogdan Syrotiuk are being brutally persecuted and imprisoned as their opposition to war meets with growing support.
The SGP (Socialist Equality Party, Germany) and the ICFI rely on the enormous opposition of the international working class and declare war on the warmongers in Berlin, Brussels, Kiev and Washington. Imperialism cannot be reformed; it must be overthrown.
This requires the building of a socialist movement of the international working class against war and capitalism. This perspective is at the heart of the International May Day Online Rally on May 4. Make plans to participate!