Former US general advises Switzerland to prepare for war
Anyone who is militarily unprepared is inviting aggression, says Ben Hodges.
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Listening: Former US general advises Switzerland to prepare for war
According to former United States general Ben Hodges, the withdrawal of US troops from Europe is only a matter of time. In an interview with SonntagsBlick, he advises Switzerland to prepare for war.
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Ex-US-General rät der Schweiz zur Kriegsvorbereitung
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“The best way to prevent a war is to prepare for it,” said the former commander of the US armed forces in Europe in an interview published on Sunday. Anyone who is unprepared is inviting aggression, he added.
In his opinion, Russia does not respect Swiss neutrality. “That doesn’t necessarily mean that Russian tanks will roll into Switzerland one day,” said Hodges. In the Black Sea and the North Sea, one can see how Russia is engaging in hybrid warfare by disrupting free trade, he pointed out.
Nevertheless, the former general had specific advice for the Swiss Armed Forces: “Learn how to deploy and defend against drones across a wide area,” he said. Massive investments must also be made in air defence, in his opinion. He also advised training for large-scale manoeuvres.
‘Europe is no longer a priority’
The US Department of Defence is currently funding 100,000 soldiers in Europe, said Hodges. For him, it is clear that President Donald Trump will withdraw troops. “The only question is when, and how many soldiers he will withdraw,” said the former general. “According to everything I hear from Washington, Europe is no longer a priority.” Trump sees China as the main opponent of the US.
From Trump’s point of view, the US would be paying billions for the defence of Europe, said Hodges. The US armed forces are about far more than European security, he added. Europe is a strategic outpost for the country, from where operations in Africa, the Middle East and Eurasia are coordinated. “Incidentally, the US benefits enormously economically from a stable Europe,” he said.
Translated from German with DeepL/gw
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