The Defence Committee

The Defence Committee 2 “National and Alliance defence, international crisis management, missions abroad, emergency and disaster relief, the dangers posed by hybrid warfare and cyber threats: the range of tasks dealt with by our parliamentary army is huge. At the same time, a great deal is hap- pening in terms of the European Security and Defence Policy. It is important for Parliament to exam- ine, constructively and critically, the possibilities and opportunities of Permanent Structured Coopera- tion. We will also continue to focus on ensuring that the members of our armed forces receive the best possible training and are properly equipped, and on enhancing the appeal of the military profession.” Wolfgang Hellmich, SPD Chairman of the Defence Committee 3 The German Bundestag’s decisions are prepared by its committees, which are established at the start of each electoral term. Four of them are stipulated by the Basic Law, the German constitution: the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Defence Committee, the Committee on the Affairs of the European Union and the Petitions Committee. The Budget Committee and the Committee for the Rules of Procedure are also required by law. The spheres of respon- sibility of the committees essentially reflect the Federal Government’s distribution of ministerial portfolios. This enables Parliament to scruti- nise the government’s work effectively. The Bundestag committees The German Bundestag sets political priorities of its own by establishing additional committees for specific sub- jects, such as sport, cultural affairs or tourism. In addition, special bodies such as parliamentary advisory councils, The committees discuss and committees of inquiry or deliberate on items referred study commissions can also to them by the plenary. They be established. The commit- also have the right to take up tees are composed of mem- issues on their own initiative, bers of all the parliamentary allowing them to set priorities groups, reflecting the balance in the parliamentary debate. of these groups in the German When necessary, they draw Bundestag. The distribution on external expertise – usu- of the chairs and deputy ally by holding public hear- chairs among the parliamen- ings. At the end of a commit- tary groups also reflects their tee’s deliberations, a majority relative strengths in the ple- of its members adopt a rec om- nary. In the current electoral mendation for a decision and term, the committees have a report, which serve as the between nine and 49 mem- basis for the plenary’s deci- bers. sion. 5 The Defence Committee is a special committee in several respects: it is prescribed by the Basic Law, it always meets in closed session, and it can constitute itself as a committee of inquiry to carry out more in-depth investigations. There are good reasons for this special role. From a con stitutional perspective, the armed forces require particularly intensive oversight by Parliament and its Defence Committee due to the power they could potentially wield. Furthermore, the topics dis- cussed by the 36 Committee members, chaired by Wolfgang Hellmich (SPD), are often highly sensitive. After all, they can involve Germany’s security and that of its military allies, as well as the interests of Bundeswehr personnel on active service. The Defence Committee The Defence Committee is the counterpart at parliamentary level of the Federal Ministry of Defence, the Bundeswehr and This is particularly true with the Federal Defence Admi- regard to the missions abroad nistration. In the process of carried out by the German democratic oversight, it plays armed forces within the frame- an important role in the adop- work of international security tion of the defence budget and policy. This issue is increa- the procurement of equipment singly dominating the Defence and materiel for the Bundes- Committee’s agenda. In 1994, wehr. The Committee is closely the Federal Constitutional involved when the Budget Court underlined the special Committee discusses the bud- character of the Bundeswehr get for the Ministry of Defence as a “parliamentary army”, and for the Parliamentary assigning the German Bundes- Commissioner for the Armed tag a pivotal role in approving Forces – who also plays an missions abroad. Since then, important role in ensuring all missions abroad have parliamentary oversight. The required parliamentary appro- Defence Committee’s recom- val: in other words, the Bun- mendations are generally hee- destag’s consent is necessary ded by the Budget Committee. for the Bundeswehr to be Moreover, the Federal Ministry deployed as envisaged by of Defence must also submit the Federal Government. all procurement projects requi- Although the Committee on ring an outlay above 25 mil- Foreign Affairs is the lead lion euros to the Defence Com- committee in preparing the mittee for discussion. In other draft resolution on a mission words, the Bundestag and the abroad, the vote of the Defence relevant committees have a Committee, as a committee great deal of influence over asked for its opinion, carries the armed forces. considerable weight. 12 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ CDU/CSU 8 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ SPD 5 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ AfD 4 ■ ■ ■ ■ FDP 4 ■ ■ ■ ■ The Left Party 3 ■ ■ ■ Alliance 90/The Greens Number of members: 36 Chairman: Wolfgang Hellmich, SPD Deputy Chairman: Prof. h.c. Dr Karl A. Lamers, CDU/CSU 7 A special right – the Defence Committee acting as a committee of inquiry Committees of inquiry are the Bundestag’s most powerful instrument of parliamentary In addition to examining mili- scrutiny. They allow Members tary issues, the Committee of Parliament to question wit- members also receive reports nesses and experts, and obtain on the everyday experiences files and documents from pub- of service personnel and the lic bodies and private organi- consequences which missions sations. A decision by Parlia- abroad can have. In order to ment is needed to establish gain an impression of the situ- a committee of inquiry. The ation on the ground, the Com- Defence Committee is diffe- mittee requests information rent: it is the only committee from the Federal Government which has the right under the or sends delegations to the Basic Law to constitute itself mission areas to ensure effec- as a committee of inquiry. tive parliamentary oversight. This means that the Commit- In short, the Defence Commit- tee members meet twice in tee is one of the most import- weeks when the Bundestag ant bridges between the armed is sitting: as the Defence Com- forces and the Bundestag. mittee on Wednesday and as 8 National and Alliance defence, missions abroad, military service and internal leadership – the Committee’s work in practice The fact that the armed forces face major challenges in per- forming their duties in Ger- many and abroad is shown by the large number of items on the Defence Committee’s agenda. Currently, the Cri- mean crisis has resulted in national defence becoming more of a focus for defence policy, alongside Alliance defence. A particular priority the committee of inquiry on in the Committee’s work in the Thursday. The Defence Com- current electoral term will be mittee most recently made use the further development and of its special right to constitute structuring of European and itself as a committee of inquiry bilateral cooperation, and with the Kunduz Committee especially the implementation on Inquiry (which investigated of the new initiative intro- a German air attack in Afgha- duced by the EU heads of state nistan in 2009 that resulted in and government to deepen civilian casualties) and the cooperation in the field of EURO HAWK Committee of security and defence and to Inquiry (which examined a implement concrete measures controversial Bundeswehr (Permanent Structured Coope- drone project). ration, or PESCO). 9 Difficult questions often fea- ture on the Committee’s agenda. For example: what framework is provided by German security policy? What have been the effects of the updated Defence Policy Guide- lines? What form is recruit- ment taking following the Further progress is to be made suspension of compulsory on gearing the Bundeswehr’s military service? What can be internal structure to its mis- done to make service in the sions abroad. The Committee armed forces more appealing therefore spends a great deal as a profession in general? of time engaging with the on- And how can service in the going process of restructuring military – and the inevitable and transforming the armed reassignments and frequent forces. Its focus is not only on relocations – be made more ensuring that soldiers are well family-friendly? trained and equipped when Then there is the plan govern- they are deployed; the ques- ing which military bases tion of how they are reintegra- should be retained and which ted into the Bundeswehr and closed. The use of training society on their return is areas is also regularly an issue, equally important – in parti- for example when the inter- cular if they are suffering from ests of people living nearby post-traumatic stress. or environmental issues must 10 be considered. The role of the armed forces in society is an- other subject which features regularly on the Committee’s agenda, as does the balance between soldiers’ civil rights and military duties – a subject closely related to the concepts of “citizens in uniform” and “internal leadership”, which encapsulate the Bundeswehr’s Bundeswehr, and investigates system of values. potential violations of the fun- Particularly in the case of such damental rights of service per- issues which affect society as sonnel or infringements of the a whole, the Committee mem- principles of internal leader- bers can build on the work of ship. The Commissioner pro- the Parliamentary Commis- duces annual reports setting sioner for the Armed Forces. out his or her assessment of The Commissioner assists the the current state of the troops, Bundestag in exercising par- and they are regularly discus- liamentary oversight over the sed by the Committee.

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