The Inspector of the Navy, Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack, presented the Maritime Convention November 21st in Berlin, the annual report of the Naval Command, published on 21 November.
“The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, which has been going on with unchanged intensity since February last year, clearly demonstrates not only the vulnerability of our globally interconnected global economy, but also has a lasting impact on the global flow of goods,” said Kaack.
This year, as a result of the war, Ukrainian grain transports will again be restricted, which means that particularly needy people in poorer countries around the globe will once again be denied a basic supply of food.
Germany and its allies remain called upon to support Ukraine in its defense and to ensure its own defense capability.
The Inspector commented: “With the intention of 2023, I have reaffirmed our chosen path towards consistently aligning the German Navy with the requirements of national and alliance defense. With our ‘Marine 2035+ course’, we will comprehensively change course and venture a vigorous entry into unmanned systems and artificial intelligence. Our vision is a powerful, resilient, demographically resilient and thus future-proof navy that supports our allies as a reliable ally, will assert itself in multidimensional operations and will continue to be available as a flexible instrument of German foreign and security policy.”
Now it is important to maintain the “course of the Navy 2035+” and to realize the future navy behind it. This is the only way we can guarantee the freedom and security of global sea lanes in the future.
This annual report is a call to action and reflection in equal measure.
Because only through an in-depth understanding of our maritime dependence can we set the course for a prosperous future that takes into account our prosperity, our security and our environment in equal measure.