Germany could leave NATO in 5 to 10 years

The director of the German Center for Eurasian studies, Eurosceptic, and political activist Manuel Ochsenreiter briefly gave us his opinion on the prospects of Germany withdrawing from NATO.

Many people want to leave NATO, but they are not thinking about what this means for us.

Now in Germany, we have about 50,000 American soldiers. Our country is the United States' biggest aircraft carrier outside the territory of the U.S. We have one of the biggest American military hospitals in Germany and we have the command center AFRICOM, the center from which the Americans control military operations on the African continent.

Therefore, we have a big American network in Germany. The Americans have some functions in the defense and politics of Germany as well. Withdrawing from NATO would automatically mean that we will have to fill the gap ourselves.

We would have to expand our army and to spend more money on it.

It is also quite convenient for some people to be a NATO member because Americans take some functions in the defense complex.

The problem is that, to exit NATO, we need a really good plan, and right now I don't see the existence of such a plan. I see some dedicated statements against the alliance, but we need to plan for the future.