Military Aims for Global Reach, but the Budget Remains Tight

The Cold War concept of a German army for territorial defense is dead and buried. Defense Minister Peter Struck has proposed changes to meet the need for a more modern and mobile force with a global reach.

Training for combat search and rescue missions in Iraq, hunting Taliban militants in Afghanistan alongside American and British Special Forces counterparts, the German-Dutch led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) in Kabul and current peacekeeping missions in the Balkans and the Horn of Africa highlight the changing role of the Bundeswehr.

"German territory faces no threat from conventional armed forces now or in the foreseeable future," Struck said. "In the forefront for the Bundeswehr is now the deployment for conflict control and crisis management as well as the support of our allies beyond the homeland."

The German Defense Ministry's reform plans, announced last Friday, target this shift in function by cutting the number of tanks, jets, helicopters and boats in a country known for military spending far below the Nato average and traditionally anti-war. This is supposed to free money for investments in a better equipped army for deployment abroad.

"More than a reform, I would say that it's an adjustment to world politics and security policy," said Lt. Col. Markus Werther, a spokesman for the Bundeswehr. "The Bundeswehr makes certain requests in order to fulfill assignments, but when it comes down to it, the politicians determine the conditions."

The focus of Struck's plan is to free as much as EUR800 million this year and EUR3.2 billion over the next 10 years by cutting operating expenses that take up 75 percent of the annual EUR24 billion military budget, which is supposed to remain at that level until at least 2006, even though the budget committee recently announced EUR250 million in additional cuts.

Details include the halving of the current 1,569 Leopard II battle tanks to 854 and speed boats to 10, cancellation of an order for an additional 30 Tiger attack helicopters and getting rid of 80 to 90 aging Tornado fighters.

Recent speculation that a U.S.-led war on Iraq could heighten danger for the 2,500 German troops currently in Afghanistan is a prime example of the Bundeswehr's dilemma: The Bundeswehr is partially dependent on allied aircraft because it lacks the transport aircraft for emergency evacuations, according to Die Welt newspaper.

Redirecting operating costs to increase the percentage of budget spent on investments to 27 percent is the only viable option to make room for a new fleet of the Airbus A400 military transporters, Eurofighter military jets and better equipped KSK special forces troops such as the 100 currently operating in Afghanistan.

Germany doles out only 1.6 percent of its GDP for the military in comparison to France's 2.7 percent, Great Britain's 2.5 percent, the United States's 3 percent and the Nato average of 2.1 percent.

Modernization of the Bundeswehr had been in the planning phase before Struck even entered office, but the cash-strapped German government and Finance Minister Hans Eichel have denied requests for additional financing.

Struck said the reforms would also free funds for better warheads for Patriot anti-missile systems, unmanned spy planes and GTK armored personnel carriers but would not reduce the current 285,000-man military, despite the fact that some critics say personnel costs are the Bundeswehr's biggest burden.

The defense minister remained supportive of military conscription despite talk among some military staff and in the government of shortening conscription from the current nine months to four or abolishing it entirely.