No U.S. Intermediate-Range Missiles in Germany

In the 1980s, when Pershing medium-range missiles were to be deployed in Europe and especially in Germany, the peace movement stood united against it—and the deployment did not take place. Medium-range missiles pose a great danger because they reduce warning times to about 10 minutes, and misinterpretations can lead to first strikes. It had become clear to many that with warning times of 5–7 minutes, an accidental war could not be prevented. In the case of intercontinental ballistic missiles, the "accidental" apocalypse on September 26, 1983 could be prevented by Soviet officer Stanislav Petrov. He had at least 20 minutes to realize that it was a false alarm.

Where is the peace movement today?

The "NATO decision" to deploy new intermediate-range missiles — made without the involvement of governments or parliaments — is even more dangerous for two reasons. Back then, there was a quid pro quo: the deployment was made contingent on the Soviet Union’s behavior. Today, the deployment is to take place in any case. And secondly, today we are dealing with "long-range hypersonic weapons" with a much greater range of 2,700–3,000 km, a speed of up to 21,000 km/h, fired from a mobile launch pad. The warhead is maneuverable during its final approach, making it difficult to shoot down. The planned deployment site is the Grafenwöhr military training area in the Upper Palatinate.

These are first-strike weapons, and Russia must clearly view them as offensive weapons. All the more so when Claudia Major of the "German Institute for International and Security Affairs" says: "In an emergency, NATO countries must also be able to strike first, for example to destroy Russian missile capabilities before they can attack NATO territory, and to destroy Russian military targets such as command centers."

US military would have a strategic advantage because similar rocket i.e. on Cuba - 100km from the US coast will not tolerated by the US. So Germany as other European countries with US military bases are important points to attack in the case of a (nuclear) war. This asymmetry would be dangerous - especially for us!

Therefore it is important, to sign the Berliner Appell "Gegen neue Mittelstreckenwaffen und für eine friedliche Welt" and to participate in the rallies in Grafenwöhr and Wiesbaden.

Read more https://dfg-vk-bayern.de/keine-raketen-nach-grafenwoehr/

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