Time adjustment at Flyerhorst: New timeframe announced
Goin' Full Throttle at Holzdorf: Arrow 3 Missile Defense System Rolls In
On May 16, the scene at Fliegerhorst Holzdorf, nestled near the state border with Saxony-Anhalt, was abuzz as District Administrator Christian Jaschinski (CDU) dropped by. Jaschinski took a tour of several construction sites, learning about upcoming investments totaling a hefty 900 million euros. From 2027, the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) intend to station 47 new transport helicopters and the Arrow 3 missile defense system at this location. This project is set to generate 1,000 new military positions and an extra 100 jobs at Airbus Helicopters, with a maintenance and repair center for military helicopters slated for the site[1]. Currently, 2,200 soldiers call Holzdorf their home turf.
The Israel deliveries of the Arrow 3 missile defense system have already kicked off. Late March saw Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz, Inspector of the Air Force, receiving the central communication element of the weapon system from its manufacturer IAI in Tel Aviv[1]. The initial plan called for spending a whopping 3.6 billion euros on the Arrow 3 system, a significant arms export transaction and a record-breaker for Israel[3]. These funds are to be drawn from the special fund for rearmament. In a matter of days following Russia's attack on Ukraine in early 2022, 100 billion euros were made available for rearmament when then-Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) declared a "turning point."
By 2030, the Arrow 3 missile defense system is scheduled to be up and running. Holzdorf will be the first of three installations for this mega-system. On June 3, Brandenburg's Minister President Dietmar Woidke (SPD) and Independent Interior State Secretary Frank Stolper met with Lieutenant Colonel André Megow. Since March 19, Megow has helmed the Air Force's leadership service in Holzdorf, tasked with ensuring the "security and sovereignty of German airspace." The tight-lipped powwow between Woidke, Stolper, and Megow did not result in any statements, with no photos or press releases following the meeting[1]. The exact content of the discussion during Megow's inaugural visit couldn't be ascertained, despite inquiries[1].
The invitation to the photo session, however, included a striking sentence: "Facing the great military and security policy challenges that Germany and its allies are currently grappling with, the expansion of the Bundeswehr's Schōnwalde/Holzdorf base with the Arrow 3 missile defense shield and the stationing of transport helicopters is a key project of the Brandenburg state government."
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Sven Hornauf, Brandenburg State Representative (BSW)
The stir was initiated by federal MP Christian Göreke (Left Party). On November 4, as coalition talks between the SPD and BSW began, Göreke pointed out that BSW's commitments to military bases like Holzdorf represented a "backdoor for rearmament." Though the federal government is covering the bill for Arrow 3, there isn't much leeway at the state level to change things. Nevertheless, Göreke raised the idea of diverting an additional 100 million euros from state funds, initially slated for structural change in the Lusatian coal mining region[4].
But the yields of the SPD-BSW partnership are at best slim. With only a two-vote majority, Minister President Woidke has no choice but to lean on BSW. The alternative, a coalition with the AfD, is all but out of the question. By the end of it all, Bundestag MP Göreke did not succeed in preventing a commitment to the Holzdorf military base in the coalition agreement or the partnership itself[4]. Dietmar Woidke did not make it through the first round of the Landtag vote but was later confirmed as head of government in December[4].
BSW federal chairwoman Sahra Wagenknecht threw her support behind the decision, admitting that the billions for Arrow 3 could be invested differently. However, she clarified that these funds are not intended for attack rockets[4]. "That's where the basic difference lies from the US medium-range missiles that BSW rejects," she said.
"Arrow 3 is a waste of money," asserted BSW parliamentary group leader Niels-Olaf Lüders in January, following the seethe concerning Woidke's election[4]. But in reality, he admitted, "We can't prevent this missile defense system at the state level." Lüders also referred to Arrow 3 as a "defensive weapon."
However, the lines between attack and defense are often blurred. Take, for instance, the Star Wars program SDI by US President Ronald Reagan in 1983. Incoming Soviet nuclear missiles were to be neutralized partly from space before reaching Reagan's homeland. But a nation's capacity to ward off retaliations can also invite first-strike considerations.
Europe's Militant History
Meanwhile, arms deals between Germany and Israel have a lengthy past. Covert deals were in place as early as 1957, shortly after the close of World War II and the Shoah. Israel's military had an urgent need for aircraft, helicopters, boats, guns, and tanks to counterbalance the might of its Arab neighbors[6]. In exchange, the German military received Israeli Uzi submachine guns. This arms trade between the nations persists to this day[6].
BSW state MP Hornauf has kept the focus squarely on the topic of Holzdorf. Peppering the Interior Committee with questions until his faction had him removed from all committees in May, Hornauf voted for an AfD proposal to cut funds for the Office for the Protection of the Constitution during the debate on the double budget 2025/26[4].
Alone in the state parliament, Hornauf has found little support. But among the BSW backs, there are others who oppose the deployment of Arrow 3. According to internal information, they have considered staging a blockade of Holzdorf should a prominent figure be detected on-site[3]. With a range of 2400 km, Moscow lies a mere 1900 km away.
The new transport helicopters and the Arrow 3 missile defense system, set to be stationed at Holzdorf from 2027, are part of significant investments totaling 900 million euros. These military positions and projects are crucial for the security and sovereignty of German airspace, as stated in a statement accompanying a photo session invitation at Holzdorf.
Despite controversies and debates regarding the Arrow 3 missile defense system, some within the Brandenburg State government, like BSW state MP Hornauf, have kept the focus on the topic of Holzdorf, expressing opposing views to its deployment.
