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| PHÎÒÎ: AP |
While the plans of the German government continues to exert pressure on processes happening far outside the nation’s capital, it appears that the foreign policy of Germany will not factor in the expenditures on the military sector
Imperialist Kohler
Last Friday the new President of Germany Christian Wulff came into office. The Federal Assembly of the countryvoted him into presidency on June 30, a month after his predecessor Horst Kohler resigned from the post at his own volition.
His resignation beca me a resonant and symptomatic event in German politics. The reason was Kohler’s statement on the possibility of protecting the economic interests of Germany through military intervention “to stabilize the situation in certain regions.” The statement came like a lightning bolt in a clear blue sky. The opposition and experts united in a storm of criticism and accused Kohler of “imperialism and a return to gunboat diplomacy”.
In truth, such an “imperialistic” statement has long been coming. The global changes, including the too indifferent to European issues U.S. President Barack Obama and the overly ambitious dynamic duo of Medvedev and Putin in Russia, the bankruptcy of Greece and the impotence of the Eurozone – gave Germany a bit of a kick start. In this situation, instead of commonly recognized leadership, which the Germany has long been longing for, the country just got additional responsibility of salvaging the EU. On the other hand, this was precisely that gave Germany the chance to regain strength and return to the club of global players.
Kohler just said in the open what his political colleagues kept silence of. It seems as though he even made his statement deliberately in order to test the response of the political world and society to the changes in foreign policy. It turned out that the vaccines of the two world wars still have their effect. Indeed, the Germans firmly rejected this totally innocent by today’s standards suggestion, though it seems like anybody that has some ambitions to participate in the “club of world leaders” has already expressed the intent to defend its national interests by military force by now.
For Germany, however, its foreign policy ambitions along with economic interests were not sufficient motivation to “recall the best of times” and try to force third world to “buy German”. The new president became a personification of such a lack of motivation. As noted by German experts, Wulff is a special type of politician: he is a very responsible individual and a committed Catholic with a very clear set of values.
Crisis adjustment
What is noteworthy is that immediately after Kohler’s unexpected resignation expenditures in the defense industry, the strength of the armed forces and military equipment were significantly cut. Perhaps this was a mere coincidence, but these actions of the government have triggered heated debates among the military and politicians on the correspondence of the armed forces and the foreign policy objectives of Germany.
According to Germany’s Minister of Defense Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, the defense budget in 2011 should be cut down to EUR 1.334 billion. The savings program calls for a cut in expenses on the personnel of the Bundeswehr, military equipment and the purchase of new weapons.
Moreover, representative of the “Union-90/Green” faction in the Bundestag Alexander Bond said the Bundeswehr is “living beyond its means.” He advocated downsizing of the staff of the armed forces from the current 250,000 to 200,000 and a revision of defense orders. According to the Green Party, the number of Typhoon fighter jets, Puma armored personnel carriers, Project 212A submarines and other weapons purchased by the state should be reduced. Also, projects such as equipping the Bundeswehr with Tiger attack helicopters or the creation of a tactical system of air defense and missile defense system MEADS should be eliminated completely.
Chairman of the Bundeswehr Union Colonel Ulrich Kirsch called the future reduction of defense expenditures a direct threat to the participation of German troops in foreign operations. “We need to decide whether Germany in the future will have combat-ready armed forces to guarantee freedom of action in foreign policy or not,” he argued and added that the morale of troops remained to be desired. The military reproach the government for it’s unwillingness to upgrade weaponry to enhance the overall level of security.
In 2009, the Bundeswehr contingent in Afghanistan lacked 40 armored vehicles of different classes, and given the aggravated situation in the German zone of responsibility, the need for armored vehicles may increase significantly.
The news about the 60% reduction of the German submarine fleet demonstrated that Germany’s foreign policy of demilitarization is serious and long-term. Specifically, staring from June 1, 2010 six diesel-electric submarines of the U-206A class in the composite of 1973-1975 were immediately recalled from the German navy. Noteworthy is that the German authorities planned to discharge these submarines from the navy in 2016.
Reform, not war
As Germany’s Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg said in a Der Spiegel interview, in 10 years a professional army will be formed in the country. It will be faster, more flexible and better armed, though smaller in size than the current army.
“In 10 years we will complete the reforms stalled over recent decades. The size of the armed forces will be reduced and soldiers will be trained to meet today´s challenges and asymmetric threats. After 10 years we will be more professional, more flexible and faster. We will potentially be able to deploy soldiers all over the world and use their skills to defend the homeland,” said the head of the German defense department.
In addition to the mandatory mantras about “a small, combat-ready and mobile army” (so say the defense ministers of all countries when reporting on reform of the armed forces), Guttenberg made a sensational statement on the possible abolition of a compulsory military service. The fact is that the draft emergency military service up until today was considered an important issue of patriotic education of youth in Germany, the relationship between the army and society and the traditional method of forming the mobilization reserve.
But politicians sparked a crisis that upset army generals. Despite the constitutional provisions of universal conscription, the German Ministry of Defense intends to cancel the draft starting November 1, 2010. This means that from January 1, 2011 there will not be any recruits to the Bundeswehr.
The minister said the main reason conscription to the army should be abolished is the lack of financing. “If there is a highly professional, well-equipped and flexible army, there will be practically no funds left for training recruits,” the minister explained.
So, in the framework of German mentality this is a very important step. The cancellation of compulsory conscription means that military service in Germany means it is becoming a full-time job, just like in most European countries.
This clearly reduces the domestic political significance of the armed forces of both the state and public institutions, because the army is being transformed into yet another “union”, which faces the same problems of doctors, plumbers or airline employees.
Even more significant is the fact that such a transformation demonstrates that German politicians decided to take a more flexible approach to the issue of sending its army to foreign countries. If today society is opposed to the participation of German troops in foreign missions, this is because the majority of German citizens have been drafted to mandatory conscription in the army. And the next time a piece of “a small, professional” Bundeswehr will be sent to any hot spot anywhere on the planet and nobody would pay much attention. After all, they are professionals and this is their job. And that will guaranty freedom of action in Germany’s foreign policy.
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