FLUG REVUE April 2003: Bundeswehr needs restructuring

BUNDESWEHR REORGANISATION LAUNCHED

By Karl Schwarz

The Bundeswehr is an army in action. But it is also an army under a constant financial squeeze, as there is little hope in this parliamentary term of any increase on the Euro24.4 billion (plus approx. Euro1.1 billion for combating terrorism and operations abroad) allocated for the 2003 budget. While German forces are serving in international operations in the Balkans, Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa and Kuwait, back in Berlin Defence Minister Peter Struck is pushing ahead with the long overdue reorganisation of the armed forces.

Whether the German people and politicians like it or not, over a decade after the end of the East-West confrontation in Europe, the Bundeswehr must finally be modified in line with the new security policy realities. In the absence of any current threat the defence of German territory against attacks from conventional forces plays only a subordinate role. Rather, according to Struck, "The primary functions of the Bundeswehr will in the foreseeable future lie in multinational operations beyond our frontiers.”

But the Bundeswehr is not adequately equipped for such a "wide spectrum of operations”. New equipment must be procured, from simple things like clothing suitable for use in a tropical environment to new airlift aircraft (the A400M) and a command, control and information system that can be deployed world-wide. But where is the money to come from? In view of the tight budget situation, the only remaining option is drastic interventions in scope and structure so as to reduce operating costs and raise the proportion of expenditure that goes on investment, which for many years has been totally inadequate, from 24.7 percent in 2003 to somewhere near 30 percent.

It is obvious that such measures, innocuously marketed by Struck as "a continuation of reform”, will meet with resistance. Defence Minister Struck has, less skilfully, so far chosen to divulge only the odd hint in recent months as to which equipment programmes and units will be affected. For example, on 21 February it was announced that

The army will have to manage with the 80 Tiger attack helicopters that have already been ordered, saving Euro700 million.
The Navy will relinquish its Tornados and the tasking of Marinefliegergeschwader 2 to the Luftwaffe by the end of 2005. Despite this, the naval warfare airborne capability is to be maintained "without limitation and permanently”.
The Luftwaffe will gain the Navy's Tornados by the end of 2005, but altogether it will have to disband "the equivalent of [two fighter bomber] wings”. This should on the one hand reduce operating costs by Euro1.1 billion, while on the other hand the measures will enable the previously planned extension of service life of these approximately 90 aircraft to be dispensed with.
The Luftwaffe is to disband its surface-to-air missile Hawk and Roland units (four mixed air defence missile groups) as soon as possible.

Further cuts are to be expected when the new "defence policy paper” is presented in a few weeks' time. We can only hope that Struck will not, like his predecessors, go for half-measures but instead will define a framework for the long term. Tough decisions now are definitely preferable to continuing to limp along. Otherwise the Bundeswehr could soon cease to count as a serious partner in the concert of NATO and ad-hoc alliances. No government that wishes to remain competent in foreign policy matters can wish for such a situation.

From page 4 of FLUG REVUE 4/2003

Last updated 4 March 2003

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