Comments on: Germany’s Past Military Deployments

By: ComingAnarchy.com » Blog Archive » Transformation in Germany

ComingAnarchy.com » Blog Archive » Transformation in Germany — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 13:28:34 +0000

[...] With 8,900 soldier abroads, the German Bundeswehr is being deployed more than ever before. To cope with current and future challenges, the Germans have been reviewing their defense policy and specifically the circumstances under which their military can be sent abroad. While they have taken part in a wide range of past operations and continue to participate in international operations around the world, Germany is doing things from day to day. Thus, it’s not only a welcome sign, but a very positive one that Berlin has realized it needs to redefine the role of its military and spell out when and where they can be sent. [...]

By: ComingAnarchy.com » Blog Archive » Mapping the Gap IV: Canada, Germany, UK

Tue, 02 May 2006 16:10:03 +0000

[...] If you refer to a second post of mine on Germany’s past deployments, you see they also fall within the Gap. [...]

By: IJ

IJ — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 08:19:15 +0000

Is democracy preventing Germany from taking part part in alliance peace-building missions? The top NATO commander in Europe, General James Jones, was interviewed recently by Germany’s ‘Der Spiegel’:

SPIEGEL: The Germans have declined to participate in the Iraq war and they are only engaged in training Iraqi officers outside of the country. They will also not join the risky expansion of peacekeeping forces in southern Afghanistan. Are you disappointed?

Jones: I’ve learned in the three years I’ve been in this job that one has to be realistic. NATO is an alliance that works by consensus, but each nation can put its own application of what it wishes to do within that consensus. In Iraq we have a situation where barely half of the allies decided to put troops on the ground — but they all voted for a mission. So, in their own way, they’re doing what they can. I don’t have negative feelings about anybody in the alliance on that score.

By: IJ

IJ — Tue, 14 Feb 2006 11:49:39 +0000

More on the lack of funding for global security. At the beginning of this month, the Munich Conference on Security Policy took place. This annual get-together is called the “Davos” of security policy. Representatives from more than 40 countries discuss in depth the development of transatlantic relations as well as European and global security.

A key concern of Nato’s S-G; is who’ll pay for global security:

“modernizing the way we pay for things in NATO is critical, because it will make it easier to do what we need to do: project stability. Right now, participation in the NRF [Nato Response Force] is something like a reverse lottery: if your numbers come up, you actually lose money. If the NRF deploys while you happen to be in the rotation, you pay the full costs of the deployment of your forces. This can be a disincentive to countries to commit to participation in the NRF. And that is something that the alliance can’t afford. That is why we need more solidarity in the way we pay for our operations. We need to share the costs more fairly. When Turkey had to ship some helicopters to Afghanistan, Luxembourg paid for their transport. That was solidarity. In the case of the NRF, I believe we should aim for the common funding of at least the initial deployment.”

By: Chirol

Chirol — Tue, 14 Feb 2006 08:48:22 +0000

Dr. ARW: Absolutely. While they and the rest of Europe could and hopefully will do more, we do need to appreciate what they have done and realize that they are experienced in doing many of the jobs a SysAdmin force would do.

Chief: Miss. Chirol needs the same!

By: Chief Wiggum

Chief Wiggum — Tue, 14 Feb 2006 05:35:12 +0000

I wish they would deploy 150 Sanitation Soldiers to my house.

By: Dr. Alfred Russel Wallace

Dr. Alfred Russel Wallace — Tue, 14 Feb 2006 01:24:55 +0000

While IJ is undoubtedly correct, we should at least give praise where praise is due – all the while encouraging more….

By: Eddie

Eddie — Mon, 13 Feb 2006 22:23:23 +0000

Not to mention the Germans assisted with both the tsunami relief effort and the Pakistani quake relief. I believe they also have a few personnel in Southern Sudan for the UN peacekeeping mission there.

By: IJ

IJ — Mon, 13 Feb 2006 21:13:49 +0000

Before Germany could be considered either Leviathan or SysAdmin (in Barnett terminology), it would probably have to increase its military spending by almost 50%. NATO reckoned that Germany would spend only 1.4% of its GDP on the military in 2005. The alliance target is around 2% of national income.

Germany is the 37th biggest contributor of peacekeepers to UN missions, according to UN statistics.

By: Mi-Hwa

Mi-Hwa — Mon, 13 Feb 2006 20:23:38 +0000

Speaking of Congo, it has a problem of many 'child witches'. This is not as amusing as the Harry Potter phenomena.

In Congo and neighbouring Angola, children are denounced as witches on a huge scale. In Kinshasa alone, 70 per cent of the city's street children have been abandoned for this reason. Both countries endured years of civil war in which child soldiers were responsible for atrocities. Aid workers believe this might help to explain a deep fear of the young found among many Congolese and Angolans.

Hopefully, the German Peacekeepers can help these children.