THE OLD GUARD: War-Obsessed Germany Plans To Call Reservists Up to the Age of 70

70-year-old soldiers?

We have been closely tracking the rapid remilitarization of Germany in the context of the war in Ukraine, and now, with the fraying of NATO ties, the process has become almost frantic.

Early in 2025, we noted that The Bundeswehr Didn’t Have a Single Combat-Ready Division, Leaving Germany Totally Dependent of Stationed US Troops for Defense and Deterrence.

Since then, we reported that Germany Was to Purchase a Thousand Tanks To Try To Turn the Bundeswehr Into Western Europe’s Largest Fighting Force.

Early this year, Germany Approves Major Package of Attack Drones for the Bundeswehr, With a Half a Billion Euro Initial Purchase.

Besides all that rearming, it arose that now, fighting-age men need to register with the military when leaving the country for extended periods of time.

Now, as the militarization expands, we learn that the German Reservist Association is calling for a raise of the age limit for service members to 70 years.

The age limit for reservists is to rise because, according to the Association, many ‘remain productive for longer’.

Der Spiegel reported (translated from the German):

“The new president of the reservist association, Bastian Ernst, is calling for a significant increase in the age limit for reservists in order to strengthen Germany’s defense capability. ‘We should raise the age limit for reservists from 65 to 70 years’, he told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland. He pointed out that the retirement age is also rising.

‘People stay fit longer. We should not waste these resources of people with life and professional experience’, says Ernst.”

Germany plans to grow the Bundeswehr to at least 260,000 active soldiers by 2035

“The Bundeswehr is to grow to at least 260,000 active soldiers and 200,000 reservists by 2035. This reserve is to be built up mainly from the men and women who are doing the new military service, for which the legal basis has been in place since the beginning of the year.

[…] According to Ernst, it is currently unclear how many reservists there are currently. It is known that eight to nine million people have served in the Bundeswehr and that around 60,000 reservists have been ordered, i.e. firmly scheduled by the Bundeswehr and thus quickly available. The reservist association has about 110,000 members. ‘The task of the new fire brigade registration will now be to record the number exactly’.”

Read more:

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/04/old-guard-war-obsessed-germany-plans-call-reservists/

BREAKING NEWS: DOJ Indicts Far-Left Southern Poverty Law Center on 11 Counts – SPLC Used Donor Money to Pay KKK to Stage ‘Hate Crimes’

The Justice Department on Tuesday indicted the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) on 11 counts, including wire fraud, bank fraud and money laundering.

The SPLC was indicted for secretly funneling more than $3 million in funds to members of white supremacist and extremist groups, the DOJ said.

A grand jury in the Middle District of Alabama returned an 11-count indictment against the SPLC.

The case was assigned to Judge Emily Marks, a Trump appointee.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the grand jury indicted the SPLC on 6 counts of wire fraud, four counts of bank fraud, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel held a press conference to announce the federal charges.

“The SPLC was not dismantling these groups. It was instead manufacturing the extremism it purports to oppose by paying sources to stoke racial hatred,” Blanche said.

WATCH:

FBI Director Kash Patel said the SPLC used donor money to pay the leaders of the Ku Klux Klan and other extremist groups to stage “hate crimes.

The SPLC created shell companies to conceal their role in funding the extremist groups.

“They used the fraudulently raised money by lying to their donor network — thousands of Americans, to go ahead and actually pay the leadership of these supposed violent extremist groups,” Patel said.

“Furthermore, our investigation revealed that the Southern Poverty Law Center, on top of perpetuating this widespread decade-long multimillion dollar fraud, conducted more criminal activity,” he added.

WATCH:

Watch the full press conference here:

Last May, the Southern Poverty Law Center labeled TPUSA a “hate group” and put a target on Charlie Kirk’s back.

A few months later, a leftist murdered Charlie Kirk at an event at Utah Valley University.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/04/breaking-news-doj-indicts-southern-poverty-law-center/

New Report Unveils Kagan’s ‘Emotionally Abusive’ Treatment Of SCOTUS Clerks

Justice Elena Kagan has often been viewed as the most strategic and analytical of the Supreme Court’s three liberal justices. But what she’s also known for behind the scenes is being “emotionally abusive” to her law clerks.

According to a Daily Mail report released Monday, Federalist Editor-in-Chief Mollie Hemingway’s new book, Alito: The Justice Who Reshaped the Supreme Court and Restored the Constitution, contains intriguing details about the inner workings of the court and its justices. While largely focusing on Justice Samuel Alito and his career, it also digs into each of his colleagues and their personas — including Kagan.

According to the outlet, Hemingway — “who spoke with over 100 former clerks and staff for the book” — reported that “several of Kagan’s former clerks, ‘along with others at the Court, have described her as “emotionally abusive,” “demanding, demoralizing, demeaning,” and “a hard a**.”‘” Others have seemingly compared her to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, meaning that she moves from being “extremely kind to extremely angry,” Hemingway writes.

“‘Kagan’s clerks had fear in their eyes,’ Hemingway said someone who clerked for a different justice recounted to her,” the Daily Mail described. “Other former aides speculated that there is ‘something psychological going on there,’ Hemingway writes.”

Hemingway also detailed comments from a former clerk for another justice, who drew a stark contrast between how Kagan and Justice Clarence Thomas treat their respective clerks.

“It’s not just that she has clerks work hard. So does Thomas. But he treats them like human beings. The consistent impression is that Kagan is abusive,” the former clerk told Hemingway.

But it’s not just Kagan who has a bad reputation for her reported mistreatment of individuals at the court.

According to The Daily Mail, Justice Sonia Sotomayor “is said to have treated members of the Court’s ‘permanent staff’ like ‘valet[s].'” The outlet reported an excerpt from Hemingway’s book about how there “are known ‘stories of [Sotomayor] barking at them to help her carry her bags.'”

The revelation of Kagan’s treatment of clerks comes days after Fox News reported separate findings from Alito about the role the Obama appointee played in delaying the release of the court’s 2022 Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade and the made-up “constitutional right” to abortion.

Hemingway detailed how the liberal justices slow-walked the release of the decision despite the wave of left-wing threats leveled against their conservative colleagues. This included Kagan, who, according to Hemingway, angrily confronted Justice Stephen Breyer about his willingness to accommodate Alito’s request that the dissent quickly finish their opinion amid these security threats.

Per Fox News, Hemingway wrote that “Kagan remonstrated with Breyer not to accommodate the majority, screaming so loudly, observers noted, that the ‘wall was shaking.'”

https://thefederalist.com/2026/04/21/new-report-unveils-kagans-emotionally-abusive-treatment-of-scotus-clerks/

Israel unveils game-changing artillery against Iran-backed Hezbollah amid fragile ceasefire

Second round of meetings between Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors slated for Thursday in Washington

JERUSALEM: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have introduced a new self-propelled howitzer to combat Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon as a defensive weapon against Hezbollah attacks.

Ro’em, the Hebrew word for thunder, could play an important role if the 10-day fragile ceasefire breaks down between Israel and Hezbollah. A second round of talks aimed at disarming Hezbollah between the ambassadors of Lebanon and Israel are slated for Thursday in Washington D.C. The ceasefire went into effect Thursday.

Ehud Bibi, Chief Artillery Officer for the IDF, told Fox News Digital that "The Ro’em brings a new capability to the Artillery Corps and the IDF as a whole, reshaping how firepower is employed on the battlefield. This marks a historic milestone, introducing a new era of more precise, faster, and more flexible fire enabling us to support troops on the ground more effectively."

Israeli Ro’em self-propelled artillery system is seen in an undated image, part of the IDF’s next-generation artillery capabilities. (IDF)

According to the IDF statement, "During the activity, the troops conducted precise artillery fire on several Hezbollah anti-tank and surface-to-surface missile launch positions, from which attacks had been launched against IDF troops. The firing was effective, achieving operational results and introducing new artillery capabilities, thereby reducing the threat posed to IDF troops and Israeli civilians."

The IDF said the launches were purely defensive attacks against Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorists during the truce. The howitzer can fire roughly 40 kilometers (about 25 miles). A team of three IDF soldiers operate the Ro’em.

Elbit Systems stated on its website that it's "capable of automatic loading and laying of the gun system, rapid in-and-out action times and high rate of fire. It offers a protected cabin for a crew of three." Adding that, "Depending on the mission, SIGMA is capable of automatically selecting and loading the required projectile, propellant and fuze and laying the gun to optimally engage targets." Also known as SIGMA, the Ro'em is produced by South Carolina-based subsidiary of Elbit Systems of America.

Israeli Ro’em self-propelled artillery system is seen in an undated image, part of the IDF’s next-generation artillery capabilities. (IDF)

Hezbollah violated a previous November 2024 ceasefire, which was brokered by the U.S., when it launched missiles into Israel on March 2 in response to the joint Israel-Iran war on Iran’s regime. The Lebanese government and the Lebanese Armed Forces failed to adhere to a deadline in 2025 to disarm Hezbollah.

The United Nations Security Council resolution 1701 also required that Hezbollah be disarmed following the 2006 war between Israel and Lebanon.

MACRON UNDER FIRE OVER IRAN, HEZBOLLAH POLICY AS TRUMP ADMIN HOSTS ISRAEL-LEBANON TALKS

According to an IDF statement sent to Fox News Digital about the modern howitzer, last Tuesday, "Troops from the 282nd Fire Brigade of the Artillery Corps, led by the ‘Ro’em’ branch at the Mali (Ground Training Center) Fire Center, conducted... their first operational firing using the "Ro’em" howitzer, in support of IDF troops operating in northern Israel."

The statement continued that "The ‘Ro’em"’is a new howitzer recently introduced into IDF service, bringing advanced and innovative capabilities to the battlefield. It significantly increases the rate of fire, enables engagement at longer ranges compared to existing systems, and provides enhanced mobility and maneuverability in the field.

Hezbollah attacks on Israel since March 2 resulted in the killing of 2 civilians and 15 Israeli soldiers. Reuters reported that Hezbollah has not disclosed its casualty figures.

Hezbollah worked to build facilities below private residential buildings and houses. 

Lebanese authorities report that nearly 2,300 people in Lebanon have been killed since March 2. Those figures don't differentiate between Hezbollah terrorists and civilians.

Speaking at a Memorial Day event for the country's fallen troops, the country's defense Minister Israel Katz pledged to ensure that Israelis in the north, who have faced massive aerial attacks from Hezbollah, will be secure.

"Even as we gather here to honor our fallen, after weeks of determined operations by IDF forces in southern Lebanon, our commitment to the residents of the north remains clear and unequivocal, to bring them security," Katz said. He noted that "If the Lebanese government continues not to fulfill its obligations, the IDF will do so through continued military activity."

https://www.foxnews.com/world/israel-unveils-game-changing-artillery-against-iran-backed-hezbollah-amid-fragile-ceasefire