Space Wars!

Germany is tightening its grip on Europe. Is anyone taking note?

This matter has not yet caught the eye of the press, but this magazine did highlight it as a matter of concern in our July edition.

Make no mistake: Since its unification in 1989, Germany has maneuvered itself into a position where, come May next year, when the eastern leg of the European Union is attached to its western counterpart, it will virtually control the major water and ground transit systems throughout Europe!

Surprisingly little press coverage has been given to another interesting development. The German Navy is presently responsible for the security of shipping throughout the entire Mediterranean, from Gibraltar to Suez. Add to that the deployment of the Fatherland’s Navy off the Horn of Africa, and you realize that currently Germany secures some of the most strategic sea gates on this globe, through which a good deal of Middle Eastern oil is shipped daily, in addition to a whole host of other goods.

Given the history of Germany’s operations in these most strategic spots on the planet, perhaps people should be showing at least some concern at these developments.

Yet, beyond this, there is a matter of even graver concern of which the media seem quite oblivious. Even less publicity has been given to the German move to control the skies over all of Europe and beyond—into outer space!

The Sky’s Not the Limit

At a Berlin press conference in October of last year, the president of the German Aerospace Industries Association (bdli), Rainer Hertrich, summarized the industry’s expectations of the German government. A bdli press release stated, “At the European level, we are expecting Germany to support the creation of a Single European Sky …. The European Galileo satellite navigation system … will permit better control of air traffic in the future” (Oct. 16, 2002).

There is more behind those words than may at first be apparent. The sky is not the limit when it comes to considering Germany’s intentions beyond the surface of this planet. That nation, under the cloak of the European Union, is simply reaching for control of the space beyond.

The threads of EU-German industrial, corporate and governmental cooperation are being fabricated into a giant effort that will place Germany, under the aegis of the EU, ultimately in a position of dominance in the global aerospace industry. In the process, Germany is setting itself up to rule the skies over the entire European, Mediterranean, Eurasian and northern African region!

Aerospace to Revive Germany?

Although the political focus may presently center on the recessionary German economy, Hertrich envisions that aggressive investment in cutting-edge aerospace development will revive Germany economically and place the country back on course to its former position as the powerhouse of Europe.

The bdli press release highlights the following: “Research and development in the German aerospace industry are unique in accounting for about 20 percent of its turnover, making it one of the most important technology engines of the German economy. With its export ratio of 72 percent and many collaborative multi-national projects, such as Germany’s 40 percent share of Airbus production, it is one of the most strongly globalized industries” (ibid.; emphasis mine throughout).

In his Berlin speech, Hertrich went on to strengthen his point about the connection between the EU’s drive for dominance in aerospace and the German economy. He stated, “The potential for new jobs in Germany must be exploited offensively through deliberate policy.” The press release continued, “The over 70,000 people who work for aerospace manufacturing companies constitute the ‘high-tech core’ of the industry.”

It is distinctly possible that Germany’s current aggressive drive to become the leader in the global aerospace industry will become the panacea that its government is seeking to revive its stubbornly sickly economy. bdli has aggressively lobbied Berlin to use the aerospace industry to help solve the nation’s chronic unemployment crisis, a nagging problem since formerly Soviet-dominated East Germany united with its more vibrant western counterpart.

Rash of Projects

Two recently approved key EU projects will dramatically propel Germany’s aerospace industry into world superiority: the Galileo global navigation system and the a400m Airbus development.

Slated to replace the dependence of EU member nations on the U.S. Global Positioning System (gps), the 30-satellite EU Galileo navigation program will be headquartered in Germany as part of a joint undertaking directed from EU headquarters, in Brussels, via the European Space Agency. A total of 20,000 workers will be employed in Germany to produce the space- and ground-based infrastructure. A further 2,000 will man the completed system, for which operational service is planned to commence by 2008.

The a400m project, billed as the largest-ever defense-related procurement program for Europe, entailed the signing of a contract for the production of 180 Airbus a400m transport aircraft to be delivered starting in 2009. Majority-owned by German interests, Airbus will add or secure 10,000 jobs with manufacturers and suppliers as a result of this project. Final assembly of the a400m fuselages will be carried out by Airbus in Bremen, Germany.

In addition to these huge, innovative, defense-related projects, a rash of similar initiatives are enhancing Germany’s leading role in the development of aerospace, communication, cutting-edge weaponry and navigation systems. The Eurofighter Typhoon—a fighter aircraft presently unmatched in its technology and performance by any similar weapons platform anywhere in the world—was developed in Germany. The first serially produced aircraft were delivered to the German Air Force in August this year.

Germany’s increasing array of air and space initiatives form quite a list. Consider the following:

The Meteor and Iris “T” weapons systems for the Eurofighter will be developed and manufactured in Germany. The Franco-German company Eurocopter, presently the world’s leading helicopter manufacturer, now accounts for 47 percent of all civilian and military helicopter sales worldwide. The European Aeronautical Defense and Space Company (eads), in which Germany holds the largest share, is developing service provision for Europe’s Skynet 5 military communications satellite program. The German Aerospace Center currently networks 31 German institutions in developing a new high-altitude and long-range research aircraft, known as the halo project. Then there’s the production of the upper stage and booster rockets for the Ariane European space launcher program, involving the building of core components in the German cities of Friedrichshafen, Munich, Bremen, Heidelberg and Balknang. Germany also leads the development of the EU contribution to the international space station.

Military Superiority

Rainer Hertrich has a clear vision of the priorities of the German aerospace industry: “According to Hertrich, if Germany wishes to retain its internationally recognized position, then its involvement in spaceflight must be stepped up …. ‘The top priorities for our industry,’ Hertrich pointed out, ‘are securing an independent European means of transporting satellites in orbit, launch of the German-led European satellite navigation system Galileo and successful utilization of the international space station’” (ibid.).

Emphasizing this German desire to control the skies and space beyond, bdli asserts, “[T]he key to success in a military conflict today lies in air superiority. Superiority must be established both in German airspace (homeland defense) and also in potential operational areas (theater defense)” (ibid.).

Hertrich minces no words when he considers Germany’s role within the EU. He is one German leader who really emphasizes the true motivation behind Germany’s drive for dominance in aerospace technology: “Again and again we Germans have been the driving force behind the growing together of Europe in the last few decades. What we would like to see is a similar German role as the driving force in European defense policy and its projects” (ibid.).

Given the facts of history, from the time of German leadership in the ancient Holy Roman Empire clear through to its triggering of the Balkan powder keg of the 1990s immediately following German unification 14 years ago, such a statement should send real chills up the spine of any observer sufficiently awake to take notice!

It was Margaret Thatcher who declared that “the world that is can be best understood by those conversant with the world that was.” Thatcher knew the power that would be unleashed the moment the formerly divided Germany united: “A united Germany was bound to become once again the dominant power in Europe. It would … be culpably naive to ignore the fact that this German drive for dominance has led in my lifetime to two terrible, global wars during which nearly 100 million people—including of course 9 million Germans—died” (Statecraft).

Germany is clearly set to lead Europe into the forefront of defense of that continent’s interests from the skies and from outer space. To this end, it is committed to laying down a cutting-edge, high-tech aerospace defense platform as a top priority. Just how far the German nation has come since Nazism was forced underground in 1945 is apparent in a hugely symbolic event which, once again, failed to grab the attention of a sleepy public.

The Silly Dove

We might remember that it was Britain’s lead in radar technology in World War ii that largely helped it win the Battle of Britain. But now Britain’s radar facilities are tired, outdated and in need of overhaul. Who do you think got the contract for that task? Read the following statement from bdli, and see if it does not raise the hairs on the back of your neck!

“eads has been appointed by National Air Traffic Services to modernize the UK’s radar surveillance system. Under this 10 million [euro] contract, the modernized radar systems are to be delivered by the eads business unit Systems and Defence Electronics in Ulm, Germany” (Aerofacts, May 2003).

How ironic! The very nation that was vanquished with the aid of British radar—a British invention—now has the contract to modernize the British system! What nation other than this “silly dove,” Britain, would even deign to commit one of its prime defensive mechanisms to upgrade by another nation which, twice within the space of 21 years, sought its annihilation?

It gets worse.

In June, the German-dominated eads was one of two companies contracted to build an enhanced ground-based air defense system for the UK Ministry of Defense!

Given the proven and historic power of German intelligence, the strategic illogic of committing the development of key components of British security and defense to a historic enemy is simply mind boggling! How sick this once-proud British lion has become!

How the words of the Prophet Hosea rail against this once-proud nation, which imposed a century of peace on this world during its greatest days as the powerful British Empire: “Ephraim [Britain] also is like a silly dove without heart … they go to Assyria [Germany]. When they shall go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven; I will chastise them, as their congregation hath heard. Woe unto them! for they have fled from me: destruction unto them! because they have transgressed against me: though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me” (Hos. 7:11-13; request our free book The United States and Britain in Prophecy for a clear explanation of the biblical identity of Britain and Germany).

Yet, it is not only government and defense chiefs in Britain who are blind to the strategic incursions of Germany into the very heart of their defense and security. The sheer effrontery of the innate bully, which appears to be part of the natural makeup of a united Germany, is reflected in an observation from one of the prime watchers of global defense and security: “Not content with overtaking U.S. rival Boeing as the leading commercial aircraft manufacturer, European company Airbus is now musing over the possibility of selling aircraft to the U.S. Department of Defense. Airbus chiefs are considering establishing a factory in the U.S. that could convert or assemble the company’s family of commercial jets to suit military applications” (Defense Systems Daily, June 25). When one realizes that Airbus is but the outgrowth of Messerschmitt, the war machine that provided the Nazi Luftwaffe with its fighting power, the irony of this situation reaches toward the incredible.

From Gulf War to Space Wars

The U.S. has had the upper hand in space technology to this point. “The 1991 Gulf War is sometimes called the First Space War, because it was the first clash in which military assets above the Earth’s atmosphere played a major role in aiding forces on the ground and in the air. gps was a state-of-the-art technology back then. Today, it’s fundamental to the American way of war: Every American war is a space war” (National Review, Feb. 10).

But now, Germany is seeking—and fast gaining—superiority in space technology and capability. That’s the reality—and the public remains largely oblivious. The need to educate the public in this startling turn of events simply does not fit with the 30-second-sound-bite, entertain-or-lose-your-audience philosophy of our vacuous media. What’s more, it just would not be politically correct to imply that those nice people who have been guilty of shedding so much blood and spreading so much havoc across the world in their historic quests for global dominance—a thousand-year Reich—would ever consider doing it again, would it?

Nevertheless, it is the truth. As early as May this year, voices of concern were being raised about the danger of Germany’s militarily related space industry developments. Berlin, Germany’s revived imperial capital, “demands ‘reorganization of the European space program,’ which will make it available for raising German-European ambitions to world power status, particularly with respect to defense. … Berlin, with the approval of Paris … seeks access to the resources of the EU member states” (www.german-foreign-policy.com, May 8).

This prime German watch group gets straight to the point in respect of the space wars vision of the German administration: “The ‘reorganization of the European aerospace program’ advanced by Berlin goes hand in hand with increasing militarization” (ibid.).

Yes, Germany is keen to exploit this critical arena. “Space is the greatest strategic venue of all. The other major powers know it. Each of those powers is setting out to make sure they have total or at least some measure of space control and space power. As recently as April 15, Jacques Chirac stated, for Europe, ‘the domination of space was a strategic challenge’” (Roll Call, June 2).

You need to know how far the thinking goes in this scenario. War is endemic to the past and continuing history of mankind. Consider and realize that major wars will never be controlled from this Earth’s surface again! From now on, all major wars will be controlled from space.

Warning Bells

A few clear-thinking minds within the U.S., Britain and its dominions are starting to sound warning bells about what the German-dominated EU is up to. But they are given little exposure in the mass media. Recently, three such minds joined forces in an effort to raise awareness of the challenge that awaits America. Here are a few of their insights on just one of the EU’s aerospace initiatives, the Galileo project:

“… Galileo was not designed simply to catch up with U.S. technological advances. After the Kosovo war, several European governments agreed that an autonomous satellite navigation capability must serve as the basis for Europe’s emerging security and defense policy. … When, in December 2001, French President Jacques Chirac warned that without Galileo European countries risked becoming ‘vassals’ of the United States, he touched on two underlying motivations for the Galileo program: defending European regional sovereignty and challenging U.S. strategic and technological leadership. …

“A potential implication of Galileo’s deployment could be … the global adoption of a European system for satellite navigation that does not favor and may even discriminate against U.S. industrial and commercial interests. …

“Today, through lack of focus and funding, the United States stands to lose not only its primacy but even its capability in satellite navigation if it does not rise to the occasion” (Foreign Affairs, July/August 2003).

Common European Defense

Think on this. In May 2004, the European Union will comprise 25 formerly sovereign nations, each with its own military capability. That is witnessed by their collective of over 2 million personnel within their combined armed forces. Come May 2004, these once-sovereign nations all will have submitted the command and control of their military personnel to the EU. But Germany wants more! Germany also wants control of all the military hardware—including nuclear technology and weaponry—of EU member nations!

“Germany is pushing for the creation of a fully fledged Euroarmy …. [A] memorandum, written by senior German army officials on the future of European defense, allegedly suggests that … the EU’s nuclear capabilities should also be ‘integrated within the European defense system’” (www.EUobserver.com, Oct. 24). Those capabilities are presently within the hands of the French and the British. Placing them at the disposal of a German-dominated Euroarmy would be akin to national suicide by those nations!

Once again, it is Rainer Hertrich who highlights this German intent. As part of the central control of all EU member nations’ military assets, the EU is in the process of setting up a European armaments agency. Hertrich has stated, “Our procurement policies for the armed forces in Europe need to be thoroughly Europeanized. … The European armaments agency needs real political weight if it is to become more than just another EU authority” (Defence Systems Daily, Nov. 10).

Hertrich’s blitzkrieg approach to this new German-dominated EU initiative is portrayed in his further declaration, “[T]his European armaments agency is an opportunity to be seized … to accelerate the transformation process within the armed forces and rapidly equip them with the necessary capabilities” (ibid.).

Capabilities for what? Is this not the nation that the World War ii Allies determined would never rise again to wreak its military havoc on this world? So why, indeed, would it be wanting to seize an opportunity to rapidly equip the European armed forces with “necessary” capabilities? Why is it perceived by Hertrich that enhanced European military capabilities are necessary?

It’s a simple equation. Dominance of outer space leads to dominance on terra firma. And to dominate on the ground simply means that you must have a force superior to that of your enemies!

The Future

You need to know where this is all heading! It is going to have massive effect on you and your loved ones in the not-too-distant future! That this is guaranteed may be understood by the marvel of revealed biblical prophecy: “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place …” (ii Pet. 1:19). The point is, you can know, if you will simply open your mind to let that light shine through and give you the understanding that you so desperately need in order to prepare for the momentous events which this new race for space will bring about!

Such understanding of the future just ahead can only come from a mind superior to yours—the mind of your Creator! The best of human minds can but warn of the potential and only guess as to its outcome. But, did you know that God has predetermined the outcome of global events, such as this final race for the control of space, even from the very beginning of creation? “… I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure” (Isa. 46:9-10).

There was a man of God who wrote way in advance of these events and accurately predicted their outcome: Herbert W. Armstrong. This man, with the marvelous light of the Word of God burning brightly in his mind, penned the following way back in 1960, in the midst of an earlier space race: “Don’t be caught up in the excitement of man’s feeble physical effort to ‘conquer’ space. Man’s effort is only another military and political plan to extend his power—without right knowledge.

“Learn God’s truth. Begin to equip yourself God’s way—and you will be ‘more than conquerors’! (Rom. 8:37).

“God wants you to rule space! But we must first learn to rule our own human persons—according to the Maker’s Instruction Book!” (Who Will Rule Space?).

Can you believe that? You to rule space? It’s really not as preposterous as it sounds, when you understand the plan that God had for mankind, from the beginning. Wouldn’t you like to face the future with real confidence, assured of what your true destiny is? Don’t you really desire to understand where you fit into this grand scheme of things, which is prophesied to explode into great global warfare, controlled and directed from outer space? Wouldn’t you like to see the future beyond that prophesied, terribly destructive global conflagration? Do you not ache at times to really understand just why you exist, and what your full God-given potential is—and begin working toward its wonderful fulfillment? The good news is that you can!

Write, without delay, and request your own personal copy, gratis, of Herbert Armstrong’s eye-opening book The Incredible Human Potential. Not only will it show you how to begin living, abundantly, right now, the way of life that produces all the blessings that God originally intended you to receive, it will offer you the key to understanding your glorious future that lies just ahead, beyond man’s present, puny efforts to rule outer space! In fact, it will show you who is really destined to rule outer space!