bobdina
06-26-2009, 07:51 PM
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4151457&c=ASI&s=TOP
By THOMAS NEWDICK
Published: 22 Jun 2009 16:37
BERLIN - German politicians are backing deployment of the NATO Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) for missions over Afghanistan. NATO announced its decision to deploy the aircraft during a meeting in Brussels on June 12 after France threatened to block the move on cost grounds.
The crew of each NATO E-3A AWACS can include up to one-third German personnel, and deployment of the aircraft in support of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission has been a subject of political debate in Germany over the past months. A decision in favor of deployment was made by the Federal Cabinet on June 17. The German Bundestag will now debate the issue July 3, in its final meeting before summer recess.
The German government has agreed in principle to send an additional 300 personnel to the Afghan theater, primarily to support the three or four AWACS aircraft that NATO plans to deploy. The mission is due to last until Dec. 13.
NATO announced its intention to send AWACS to Afghanistan as early as March 2008. However, the proposal faced opposition from German politicians keen to avoid direct support of combat operations by German troops. To date, German military participation in Afghanistan has focused on support roles, including aerial reconnaissance and logistics, while ground troops have been concentrated in less-dangerous regions.
Germany's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, has stressed the unarmed nature of the AWACS mission and has stated that the aircraft cannot be used to identify ground targets and prosecute air strikes. According to the federal government, the aircraft's main mission will be management of air assets, allowing "a better coordination of civilian and military air traffic, for the protection of the troops deployed there and the Afghan civilian population."
However, unlike the German Air Force Tornado jets operating in support of the Afghan mission, AWACS offers a real-time imagery capability, and therefore could theoretically direct combat operations.
Another potential hurdle is the fact that the German parliament announced last October that German participation in ISAF had reached its upper limit, with 4,500 personnel deployed. The additional 300 German servicemen required for the AWACS mission will be on top of this figure.
The political ramifications of the AWACS mission have history in Germany. In May 2008, the issue of German participation in NATO AWACS flights during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 was ruled illegal by the constitutional court. These missions had been flown to secure Turkish airspace during the U.S.-led invasion, although military action in Iraq was opposed by the then German government.
The court ruled that German aircrew had been involved in military operations without parliamentary consultation.
Based at Geilenkirchen, Germany, the multinational NATO AWACS component operates 17 E-3As and three Boeing 707 trainer/transport aircraft. The force includes about 3,100 personnel. For the upcoming ISAF mission, the AWACS aircraft are likely to be based in Konya, Turkey.
By THOMAS NEWDICK
Published: 22 Jun 2009 16:37
BERLIN - German politicians are backing deployment of the NATO Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) for missions over Afghanistan. NATO announced its decision to deploy the aircraft during a meeting in Brussels on June 12 after France threatened to block the move on cost grounds.
The crew of each NATO E-3A AWACS can include up to one-third German personnel, and deployment of the aircraft in support of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission has been a subject of political debate in Germany over the past months. A decision in favor of deployment was made by the Federal Cabinet on June 17. The German Bundestag will now debate the issue July 3, in its final meeting before summer recess.
The German government has agreed in principle to send an additional 300 personnel to the Afghan theater, primarily to support the three or four AWACS aircraft that NATO plans to deploy. The mission is due to last until Dec. 13.
NATO announced its intention to send AWACS to Afghanistan as early as March 2008. However, the proposal faced opposition from German politicians keen to avoid direct support of combat operations by German troops. To date, German military participation in Afghanistan has focused on support roles, including aerial reconnaissance and logistics, while ground troops have been concentrated in less-dangerous regions.
Germany's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, has stressed the unarmed nature of the AWACS mission and has stated that the aircraft cannot be used to identify ground targets and prosecute air strikes. According to the federal government, the aircraft's main mission will be management of air assets, allowing "a better coordination of civilian and military air traffic, for the protection of the troops deployed there and the Afghan civilian population."
However, unlike the German Air Force Tornado jets operating in support of the Afghan mission, AWACS offers a real-time imagery capability, and therefore could theoretically direct combat operations.
Another potential hurdle is the fact that the German parliament announced last October that German participation in ISAF had reached its upper limit, with 4,500 personnel deployed. The additional 300 German servicemen required for the AWACS mission will be on top of this figure.
The political ramifications of the AWACS mission have history in Germany. In May 2008, the issue of German participation in NATO AWACS flights during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 was ruled illegal by the constitutional court. These missions had been flown to secure Turkish airspace during the U.S.-led invasion, although military action in Iraq was opposed by the then German government.
The court ruled that German aircrew had been involved in military operations without parliamentary consultation.
Based at Geilenkirchen, Germany, the multinational NATO AWACS component operates 17 E-3As and three Boeing 707 trainer/transport aircraft. The force includes about 3,100 personnel. For the upcoming ISAF mission, the AWACS aircraft are likely to be based in Konya, Turkey.