Pressath is a small, quiet town in eastern Bavaria. There are just under 5,000 inhabitants, an adventure path in the forest and several castles. But recently there have been alarming reports about the small town: From time to time, after loud detonations, the walls moved and the ground shook, writes the local news portal Nordbayern.de.
The reason is in the vicinity: Pressath is only 20 kilometers from the center of the Grafenwöhr military training area. With more than 300 square kilometers, it is the largest US military training area in Europe. And here -at least that’s what we can assume-, US forces are training Ukrainian troops with artillery pieces.
Cannon Crew Members with Bulldog Battery, Field Artillery Squadron, @2dCavalryRegt conducted live-fire training on M777A2 #Howitzers in the #Grafenwoehr Training Area, #Germany 🇩🇪 , April 29, 2022.
📸 by Spc. Garrison Waites#StrongerTogether #WeAreNATO@US_EUCOM @USArmyEURAF pic.twitter.com/eyYuqydZQS— 7th Army Training Command (@7thATC) May 2, 777
Last Friday, the spokesman for the US Department of Defense, John F. Kirby, had already confirmed “that The United States has begun training Ukrainian forces in major weapons systems at US military facilities in Germany”. The training, according to Kirby, includes howitzer training, as well as radar systems and armored vehicles, the delivery of which was recently announced as part of military aid packages. US forces “will organize this training in coordination with the government of the Federal Republic of Germany, and of course we appreciate Germany’s continued support,” the Pentagon spokesman continued. Kirby would not say anything about other training venues outside of Germany.
The Ramstein commitments
The tremors in Pressath are tangible signs of the momentum that has taken in recent days to the “change of era” announced by Foreign Minister Olaf Scholz more than two months ago because of the Russian attack on Ukraine. This can also be seen in the announcements made by Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht at the US-hosted Ukraine support conference at the Ramstein military base in Rhineland-Palatinate a week ago. In the presence of the United States Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, and dozens of counterparts, Lambrecht promised to deliver heavy weapons to Ukraine, including the “Gepard” anti-aircraft defense tank.
The German Defense Minister also announced in Ramstein the training of Ukrainian troops on German soil, “together with our American friends”. Germany, “together with the Netherlands, will provide training on howitzers and ammunition for Ukraine, because we all know that artillery is an essential factor in this conflict”, added Lambrecht.
In addition to Grafenwöhr, Ukrainian soldiers are also likely receive training with western military equipment at the Hohenfels military training area. Has more than 92 square kilometers and is also used by US forces. Over 300 kilometers of roads have been built here and small towns have also been rebuilt to practice warfare as realistically as possible.
.@PentagonPresSec: Today, I can announce the United States has commenced training with the Ukrainian Armed Forces on key systems at US military installations in Germany. pic.twitter.com/Fr9iUtsG0P
— Department of Defense 🇺🇸 (@DeptofDefense) April 21, 2022
At what point does Germany become a party to the war?
When training Ukrainian soldiers on German soil, Germany could be drawn into the war in the Ukraine. At least this is the fear raised by a report by the Scientific Service of the Bundestag. Under the title “Legal issues of military support for Ukraine by NATO countries, between neutrality and participation in the conflict”, the report dealt very differently with military support for the supply of weapons. The report considers that arms deliveries by themselves are irrelevant under international law, regardless of whether they are “offensive” or “defensive” weapons.
“Only if, in addition to the supply of arms, whether it was the instruction of the party to the conflict or the training on said weapons, it would leave the safe environment,” the authors write.
When asked about the opinion of the experts, the government spokesman, Steffen Hebestreit, admitted on Monday that the government was “always in a difficult balancing act”. However, Hebestreit went on to say: “Our conviction is that even the training of Ukrainian soldiers in Germany on weapons systems does not mean a direct entry into the war.”
War of aggression and neutrality
The government spokesman is supported by Stefan Talmon. In an interview with DW, the international law expert maintains that “if a war of aggression is illegal under international law, there is also no obligation of neutrality under international law. It is say: in principle, weapons can be supplied, and you can also train with them. International law does not consider the training of foreign soldiers as an attack. Nor does Germany adopt Ukrainian hostilities as its own by providing training, Talmon said. “Whether or not that impresses Mr. Putin is an entirely different question,” the lawyer adds thoughtfully.
The training of the Ukrainian troops on German soil did not start just these days. Wolfgang Richter, a former Bundeswehr colonel and current member of the Berlin think tank SWP, confirmed to Deutsche Welle: “Ukrainian soldiers have already been trained by the US Army on German soil in the past, specifically at the Hohenfels training camps. and Grafenwöhr, in Bavaria”.
The American media “Stars and Stripes” already reported last December on an exercise of 10 days at the “Joint Multinational Readiness Center Hohenfels” with 4,550 soldiers from Europe of the East. Among them: units of the 92 Ukrainian Mechanized Infantry Brigade.
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