ianstone
06-23-2010, 02:49 PM
Global Conflicts | 23.06.2010
Germany to streamline its international military missions
http://www.dw-world.de/image/0,,3896934_1,00.jpg (http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_lupe/0,,5723973,00.html) Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Germany is paring down several naval missions to cut costs (http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_lupe/0,,5723973,00.html)
German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg is on a two-day trip to visit troops on the Horn of Africa and Cyprus. He has stressed that, although smaller, their missions are still important.
Defense Minister Guttenberg's two-day tour to the Horn of Africa and Cyprus is a message to his troops that, despite cuts to the overall size of the German military and its budget, the missions they are involved in are still important.
The East African enclave is the land base for two international missions involving the German Navy. Operation Enduring Freedom searches for terrorists and is NATO's response to the al-Qaeda attacks of September 11, 2001.
The European Union mission Atalanta is working to protect shipping lanes from pirates in the Indian Ocean.
Cyprus is the base for the United Nations mission, UNIFIL, which patrols the eastern Mediterranean to intercept weapons destined for Lebanon.
Two missions for the price of one
Guttenberg is expected to fold two missions into one on his visit to Djibouti. The defense minister has quietly opted to terminate Germany's participation in Operation Enduring Freedom. The last 90 troops complete their tours of duty on June 30th.
Instead of tracking down terrorists in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, a vast area of nearly 5.5 million square kilometers, Guttenberg wants to concentrate German efforts on stopping the rampant hijackings of commercial ships by Somali pirates in the same area.
http://www.dw-world.de/image/0,,5439296_1,00.jpgBildunterschrift: Securing shipping lanes against pirates is not an easy task in the vast Indian Ocean
"If we take a look right now at the Horn of Africa mission, there are very different mandates which play a role, and which the public, to some extent, is not even aware of. For that reason, it is important to me to demonstrate that our current missions are not all about Afghanistan," the defense minister said.
The terrorist threat off the Horn of Africa still exists, but Guttenberg argues that Europe's Atalanta anti-piracy mission can still be used for that purpose, if the need arises.
Atalanta involves 250 German troops, mostly on board the frigate "Schleswig Holstein", and a sophisticated surveillance aircraft that patrols the region, taking high-resolution pictures.
Germany to stay in the Mediterranean
On Thursday, the defense minister is to fly to Cyprus to inspect the UNIFIL mission.
Germany has been involved in that mission off the coast of Lebanon since 2006 and recently extended its mandate for another year, after being expressly asked by Lebanon and Israel to stay. http://www.dw-world.de/image/0,,3628900_1,00.jpg (http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_lupe/0,,5723973_ind_2,00.html)Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Lebanon and Israel have asked Germany to continue the UNIFIL mission (http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_lupe/0,,5723973_ind_2,00.html)
Although the size of the German contingent will be reduced from 500 to 300, the task remains the same: to stop weapons smuggling, mostly by Hezbollah, into southern Lebanon that could threaten Israel's security.
Rainer Stinner, a defense expert in Germany's Free Democrat party, gives three reasons why the UNIFIL mission is so important.
"This is about guaranteeing Israel's right to exist in secure borders. Secondly, it's about building a viable Palestinian state; and thirdly, it's about stabilizing the state of Lebanon," Stinner said.
Before leaving for Djibouti on Wednesday, Minister Guttenberg again voiced strong support for all the German naval missions, stressing however that the anti-piracy mission was a high priority for Berlin. Securing trade routes, the minister said, was in Germany's interest.
Global Conflicts
Germany to streamline its international military missions (http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5723973,00.html)
http://www.dw-world.de/image/0,,5724331_10,00.jpg (http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5723973,00.html)
German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg is on a two-day trip to visit troops on the Horn of Africa and Cyprus. He has stressed that, although smaller, their missions are still important. (http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5723973,00.html)» (http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5723973,00.html)
Germany mulls getting rid of compulsive military service (http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5678012,00.html)
23.06.2010 Germany mulls getting rid of compulsive military service
http://www.dw-world.de/image/0,,5678187_1,00.jpg (http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_lupe/0,,5678012,00.html) Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Some in Germany want to cling to the tradition of "citizen in uniform" (http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_lupe/0,,5678012,00.html)
The German Bundestag is debating a proposal to decrease the length of mandatory military service in a bid to save money. But if Defense Minister Guttenberg has his way, the military draft could be scrapped altogether.
Germany's lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, is currently debating a proposal to decrease the length of mandatory military service from nine to six months.
http://www.dw-world.de/image/0,,5432144_1,00.jpg (http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_lupe/0,,5678012_ind_1,00.html)Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Guttenberg's ministry has to come up with a strategy to save about 4 billion euros (http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_lupe/0,,5678012_ind_1,00.html)
The proposal is among a raft of austerity measures put forward by Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition cabinet, as the government seeks to tackle the country's massive budget deficit.
Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Gutenberg wants to go a step further: he has proposed ending military conscription altogether, saying it is important to consider all options as the German government searches for more ways to save money.
His ministry alone needs to cut about 4 billion euros ($4.8 billion) in costs.
Reluctance to end a 'tradition'
The opposition Social Democrats have opposed the move, saying it would destroy the country's post-war tradition of the "citizens in uniform."
But even in the governing coalition, not everybody agrees with the defense minister, who is a member of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister-party to Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU).
The leader of the CDU's parliamentary group has called for compulsory military service to be maintained.
Volker Kauder told the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper that it was "the instrument to link society and the Bundeswehr."
"We've experienced on a number of occasions in our history what can result if this bond is no longer there," he said, adding that what mattered was that the Bundeswehr was able to fulfill its mission.
http://www.dw-world.de/image/0,,5657258_1,00.jpgBildunterschrift: Germany is seeking to save 10 billion euros (over $12 billion) every year from 2011 to 2016
Plans for massive troop reduction?
Meanwhile, the Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper reported that the defense ministry plans have for a long time been based on a total scrapping of compulsory military service and a massive troop reduction.
According to the report, no new recruits are to be conscripted starting next year. In addition, plans had been drawn up to get rid of 40,000 of the Bundeswehr's 251,000 professional and regular soldiers by 2014.
The Free Democrats (FDP), junior partners in the governing coalition, have urged Guttenberg to take a speedy decision on the abolition of conscription.
"There should be clarity about the Bundeswehr's future before the next conscription deadline on October 1," the party's defense policy spokesperson, Elke Hoff, told the Hamburger Abendblatt newspaper.
She also stressed that cutting the number of regular and professional soldiers only made sense if conscription was suspended at the same time.
The Bundestag is expected to pass a bill on an amendment to the conscription law as early as next week. The draft bill provides for compulsory military service of six months instead of the present nine months for all conscripts from July 1.
Those opting for community instead of military service are expected to be allowed to extend their duty voluntarily by a further three months.
The debate over whether to continue the post-war tradition of conscription comes as the Bundeswehr's mission in Afghanistan is becoming increasingly unpopular at home.
More than 4,000 German troops are currently stationed in Afghanistan.
The cuts have now effected Germany
Germany to streamline its international military missions
http://www.dw-world.de/image/0,,3896934_1,00.jpg (http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_lupe/0,,5723973,00.html) Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Germany is paring down several naval missions to cut costs (http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_lupe/0,,5723973,00.html)
German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg is on a two-day trip to visit troops on the Horn of Africa and Cyprus. He has stressed that, although smaller, their missions are still important.
Defense Minister Guttenberg's two-day tour to the Horn of Africa and Cyprus is a message to his troops that, despite cuts to the overall size of the German military and its budget, the missions they are involved in are still important.
The East African enclave is the land base for two international missions involving the German Navy. Operation Enduring Freedom searches for terrorists and is NATO's response to the al-Qaeda attacks of September 11, 2001.
The European Union mission Atalanta is working to protect shipping lanes from pirates in the Indian Ocean.
Cyprus is the base for the United Nations mission, UNIFIL, which patrols the eastern Mediterranean to intercept weapons destined for Lebanon.
Two missions for the price of one
Guttenberg is expected to fold two missions into one on his visit to Djibouti. The defense minister has quietly opted to terminate Germany's participation in Operation Enduring Freedom. The last 90 troops complete their tours of duty on June 30th.
Instead of tracking down terrorists in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, a vast area of nearly 5.5 million square kilometers, Guttenberg wants to concentrate German efforts on stopping the rampant hijackings of commercial ships by Somali pirates in the same area.
http://www.dw-world.de/image/0,,5439296_1,00.jpgBildunterschrift: Securing shipping lanes against pirates is not an easy task in the vast Indian Ocean
"If we take a look right now at the Horn of Africa mission, there are very different mandates which play a role, and which the public, to some extent, is not even aware of. For that reason, it is important to me to demonstrate that our current missions are not all about Afghanistan," the defense minister said.
The terrorist threat off the Horn of Africa still exists, but Guttenberg argues that Europe's Atalanta anti-piracy mission can still be used for that purpose, if the need arises.
Atalanta involves 250 German troops, mostly on board the frigate "Schleswig Holstein", and a sophisticated surveillance aircraft that patrols the region, taking high-resolution pictures.
Germany to stay in the Mediterranean
On Thursday, the defense minister is to fly to Cyprus to inspect the UNIFIL mission.
Germany has been involved in that mission off the coast of Lebanon since 2006 and recently extended its mandate for another year, after being expressly asked by Lebanon and Israel to stay. http://www.dw-world.de/image/0,,3628900_1,00.jpg (http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_lupe/0,,5723973_ind_2,00.html)Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Lebanon and Israel have asked Germany to continue the UNIFIL mission (http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_lupe/0,,5723973_ind_2,00.html)
Although the size of the German contingent will be reduced from 500 to 300, the task remains the same: to stop weapons smuggling, mostly by Hezbollah, into southern Lebanon that could threaten Israel's security.
Rainer Stinner, a defense expert in Germany's Free Democrat party, gives three reasons why the UNIFIL mission is so important.
"This is about guaranteeing Israel's right to exist in secure borders. Secondly, it's about building a viable Palestinian state; and thirdly, it's about stabilizing the state of Lebanon," Stinner said.
Before leaving for Djibouti on Wednesday, Minister Guttenberg again voiced strong support for all the German naval missions, stressing however that the anti-piracy mission was a high priority for Berlin. Securing trade routes, the minister said, was in Germany's interest.
Global Conflicts
Germany to streamline its international military missions (http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5723973,00.html)
http://www.dw-world.de/image/0,,5724331_10,00.jpg (http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5723973,00.html)
German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg is on a two-day trip to visit troops on the Horn of Africa and Cyprus. He has stressed that, although smaller, their missions are still important. (http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5723973,00.html)» (http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5723973,00.html)
Germany mulls getting rid of compulsive military service (http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5678012,00.html)
23.06.2010 Germany mulls getting rid of compulsive military service
http://www.dw-world.de/image/0,,5678187_1,00.jpg (http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_lupe/0,,5678012,00.html) Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Some in Germany want to cling to the tradition of "citizen in uniform" (http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_lupe/0,,5678012,00.html)
The German Bundestag is debating a proposal to decrease the length of mandatory military service in a bid to save money. But if Defense Minister Guttenberg has his way, the military draft could be scrapped altogether.
Germany's lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, is currently debating a proposal to decrease the length of mandatory military service from nine to six months.
http://www.dw-world.de/image/0,,5432144_1,00.jpg (http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_lupe/0,,5678012_ind_1,00.html)Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Guttenberg's ministry has to come up with a strategy to save about 4 billion euros (http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_lupe/0,,5678012_ind_1,00.html)
The proposal is among a raft of austerity measures put forward by Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition cabinet, as the government seeks to tackle the country's massive budget deficit.
Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Gutenberg wants to go a step further: he has proposed ending military conscription altogether, saying it is important to consider all options as the German government searches for more ways to save money.
His ministry alone needs to cut about 4 billion euros ($4.8 billion) in costs.
Reluctance to end a 'tradition'
The opposition Social Democrats have opposed the move, saying it would destroy the country's post-war tradition of the "citizens in uniform."
But even in the governing coalition, not everybody agrees with the defense minister, who is a member of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister-party to Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU).
The leader of the CDU's parliamentary group has called for compulsory military service to be maintained.
Volker Kauder told the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper that it was "the instrument to link society and the Bundeswehr."
"We've experienced on a number of occasions in our history what can result if this bond is no longer there," he said, adding that what mattered was that the Bundeswehr was able to fulfill its mission.
http://www.dw-world.de/image/0,,5657258_1,00.jpgBildunterschrift: Germany is seeking to save 10 billion euros (over $12 billion) every year from 2011 to 2016
Plans for massive troop reduction?
Meanwhile, the Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper reported that the defense ministry plans have for a long time been based on a total scrapping of compulsory military service and a massive troop reduction.
According to the report, no new recruits are to be conscripted starting next year. In addition, plans had been drawn up to get rid of 40,000 of the Bundeswehr's 251,000 professional and regular soldiers by 2014.
The Free Democrats (FDP), junior partners in the governing coalition, have urged Guttenberg to take a speedy decision on the abolition of conscription.
"There should be clarity about the Bundeswehr's future before the next conscription deadline on October 1," the party's defense policy spokesperson, Elke Hoff, told the Hamburger Abendblatt newspaper.
She also stressed that cutting the number of regular and professional soldiers only made sense if conscription was suspended at the same time.
The Bundestag is expected to pass a bill on an amendment to the conscription law as early as next week. The draft bill provides for compulsory military service of six months instead of the present nine months for all conscripts from July 1.
Those opting for community instead of military service are expected to be allowed to extend their duty voluntarily by a further three months.
The debate over whether to continue the post-war tradition of conscription comes as the Bundeswehr's mission in Afghanistan is becoming increasingly unpopular at home.
More than 4,000 German troops are currently stationed in Afghanistan.
The cuts have now effected Germany