Scandal-hit German special forces prepare for war with Russia – commander

Germany’s elite special forces are preparing for a potential large-scale war with Russia, the unit’s commander has told Bild. The remarks come amid ongoing tensions between Moscow and NATO over the Ukraine conflict, with German officials warning that the country’s military must be ready for a possible confrontation by the end of the decade.

The highly secretive unit, known as Kommando Spezialkrafte (KSK), is comparable to Britain’s SAS or the US Green Berets. According to a report from its base in southwestern Germany published on Monday, the commandos are adjusting their training to counter Russian forces equipped with tanks, artillery, drones and electronic warfare capabilities, including in extreme cold.

“We are orienting ourselves very specifically toward the adversary Russia,” KSK Commander Brigadier General Andreas Kuhne said, adding that his soldiers would have to be prepared to “remain in the field much longer,” potentially “with no end in sight,” if war broke out.

Kuhne also said the unit was preparing to carry out missions before conventional German forces entered combat. “When the 45th Armored Brigade in Lithuania starts its engines in a real emergency, we want to have already completed our job,” he told Bild.

According to the newspaper, only about a third of the KSK’s roughly 1,500 personnel are commandos, while the rest serve in administrative and support roles.

The unit has been rocked by a series of far-right extremism scandals in recent years. In 2017, prosecutors launched an investigation following reports that soldiers had performed Nazi salutes, listened to far-right music and offered a woman as a “prize” at a farewell party for an outgoing company commander.