A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
President Biden heads to Berlin on a farewell trip this week, all while Germany is facing the reality of taking greater responsibility for its own security. As Esme Nicholson reports, German intelligence agencies say Russia is just a few years away from being ready to attack NATO.
ESME NICHOLSON, BYLINE: Speaking to lawmakers in a parliamentary hearing this week, Germany's foreign intelligence agency chief, Bruno Kahl, did not mince his words when it came to Russia.
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BRUNO KAHL: (Through interpreter) Russia's armed forces will probably be in a position to launch an attack on NATO by the end of this decade at the latest.
NICHOLSON: Kahl said that Moscow is way outspending Europe in preparation for direct military confrontation. Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius issued a similar warning in the Bundestag earlier this year.
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BORIS PISTORIUS: (Through interpreter) Putin's war economy is working towards another conflict. We must be ready for war by 2029. We need a deterrent to stop the very worst from happening.
NICHOLSON: But these warnings have so far prompted little action. A recent report published by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy asserts that Germany will need an entire century to restock its weapons inventory of 20 years ago. Russia, by contrast, can produce Germany's current military stock in just six months. Opposition lawmaker Norbert Rottgen, who sits on the Bundestag's Foreign Affairs Committee, says the government's lack of action is negligent.
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NORBERT ROTTGEN: We are experiencing the end of the longest peace period in European history. The Europeans have to take on more responsibility for their own security and peace.
NICHOLSON: To bridge the deterrence gap, Chancellor Olaf Scholz has agreed to station U.S. missiles capable of hitting Moscow on German soil from 2026. But the decision has not gone down well with voters a year ahead of Germany's federal election. As Scholz prepares to meet President Joe Biden on Friday, he is acutely aware of how little time he has to address the very real threat of Russia, not only before Biden leaves office but potentially before he does the same.
For NPR News, I'm Esme Nicholson in Berlin. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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