National Report of Deutscher Bundeswehrverband (“German Armed Forces Association”)
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April 2018 National Report of Deutscher BundeswehrVerband (“German Armed Forces Association”) EUROMIL Presidium Meeting in Brussels (Belgium) 20. / 21. April 2018 The German Armed Forces Association is a politically and financially independent institution, which represents the interests of over 200.000 members. Most of the members are soldiers, but the German Armed Forces Association represents civilian employees and civil servants, too. Important are on the one hand the social concerns of the civilian and military personnel of the German Armed Forces and on the other hand the German security and defence policy. International operations Most of our members are Bundeswehr (“German Armed Forces”) soldiers. A part of the German Armed Forces soldiers and their families are in the situation, that the German Armed Forces take part in the following international operations: international operation operational area current end of mandate current maximum number of staff Counter Daesh Middle East 31.10.2018 800 EUNAVFOR MED Mediterranean Sea 30.06.2018 950 EUTM Mali Mali 31.05.2018 300 EUTM Somalia Somalia 31.03.2018 20 KFOR Kosovo 23.06.2018 800 MINURSO Western Sahara unlimited 20 MINUSMA Mali and Senegal 30.04.2018 1.000 NAVFOR Atlanta Horn of Africa and 31.05.2018 600 bordering sea areas RSM Afghanistan 31.03.2019 1.300 1 Sea Guardian Mediterranean Sea 31.03.2019 650 Training Iraq Northern Iraq 30.04.2018 150 UNAMID Sudan 31.03.2019 50 UNIFIL Lebanon 30.06.2018 300 UNIMISS Southern Sudan 31.03.2019 50 29.03.2018 The number of soldiers in mandated missions has remained almost constant, the engagement of the German Armed Forces in terms of mandatory commitments has increased significantly. On 15th March 2018 several items were on the agenda of the meeting of the German Bundestag, which concerned the German Armed Forces The five missions - Counter Daesh, RSM, Sea Guardian, UNMISS and UNAMID - were discussed. There is a lack of strategy for the use of the German Armed Forces to combat IS terror in the long term and to fully stabilize Iraq, which turned out to be a great risk for the soldiers. On 22nd March 2018 these five missions were extended after a long discussion; before the approval of the German Bundestag had a special meeting of the Defence Committee of the German Bundestag been necessary. The mandate for the German participation in the MINUSMA mission to stabilize Mali, which expires at the end of April 2018, was considered separately. By now it has only been discussed, the vote in the plenary is pending. Forming of a government After months of no government could be formed, on 14th March 2018 Chancellor Angela Merkel was elected for the fourth time as German chancellor. The Union of CDU and CSU and the SPD reach 56 percent of the Members of the German Bundestag together. Despite opposition within the SPD a grand coalition was formed again, because a Jamaican coalition of CDU, CSU, FDP and Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen did not come about. After Merkel's election the ministers were appointed by the Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and sworn in the German Bundestag. Leadership under Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen Miss Dr. Ursula von der Leyen remains Minister of Defence. 2 As Parliamentary Secretaries of State Thomas Silberhorn (CDU) and Dr. Peter Tauber (CDU) supports her in the field of parliament and politics. The former State Secretary Dr. Katrin Suder remains in office for a short time; the departments Equipment and Cyber / Information Technology are under her control. She is responsible for the Planning department, too. She will soon be followed by Lieutenant General Benedikt Zimmer. The State Secretary Gerd Hoofe remains in office, the Budget and Controlling department, the Legal department, the Personnel department, the department of Infrastructure, Environmental Protection and Services and the staff of Organization / Revision is under his control. On 1rst May 2018 Lieutenant General Eberhard Zorn becomes the new Inspector General of the German Armed Forces. He follows General Volker Wieker, who is retiring. The Inspector General of the German Armed Forces is the superior of all soldiers in the armed forces under his command, military adviser to the Federal Government and the highest military representative of the German Armed Forces. He is responsible for the Planning department, the Leadership department and the Strategy and Mission department. The new President of the Federal Office for Equipment, Information Technology and Services of the Federal Armed Forces (BAAINBw) will be Gabriele Korb, who is following the retired Harald Stein. She takes over the agency at a time when there are major problems with the equipment. Europe in the coalition agreement The strengthening of European foreign and security policy is a big theme in the coalition agreement for the 19th legislative period, in which the German Armed Forces are qualified as an indispensable part of the German security policy and by which further steps are to be taken to get an "army of Europeans". Although awareness of better financial resources is expressed and an increase in German spending is foreseen, it remains critical that at least 1.5% of gross domestic product must be invested and that this investment is not provided. Germany is aiming for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for the years 2019/2020. In the future, there shall be a permanent seat of the EU. Germany is ready to strategically align and increase its voluntary contributions and to provide skills. NATO and EU shall work together more closely and the agreed NATO capabilities shall be achieved. At the Council of Europe the equal participation of all members is a long-term goal. 3 Arms control and disarmament remain goals of the German foreign and security policy. Germany will take initiatives for arms control and disarmament, in particular with regard to weapons of mass destruction. Autonomous weapons systems are rejected. Arms exports to third countries shall be further restricted. The contents of the coalition agreement show the successful representation of interests by the DBwV: It is made clear that the German Armed Forces are a parliamentary army. The soldiers shall be provided with the best possible equipment, training and support. The trend reversals that have already been initiated - personnel, materials and finances - are to be continued. The international operations of the German Armed Forces shall be subject to a political concept which will be continuously evaluated. The concept of inner lead and the soldier as a "citizen in uniform" shall be observed. The attractiveness-agenda and the personnel strategy of the German Armed Forces shall be developed in order to recruit and retain qualified military and civilian personnel. There will be a special law, inter alia to make salary and its structures competitive, to make service law more flexible, to better balance the high burdens associated with mobility and to improve social security for military and civilian personnel. Accommodations must be provided for soldiers who are not subject to accommodation. A trend reversal “training” shall be implemented. The services shall better deal with requests for military service compensation. Infrastructure and military intelligence shall be reviewed. Armaments and procurement shall be improved. To ensure technological innovation leadership an "Agency for Disruptive Innovations in Cyber- Security and Key Technologies" and an IT Security Fund for the protection of key security- related technologies will be set up under the responsibility of the Federal Ministry of Defence and the Federal Ministry of the Interior. The opportunities and risks associated with digitization are essential for the German Armed Forces. PESCO The Permanent Structured Cooperation enables the Member States of the European Union to have a permanent and close cooperation in the area of security and defence and the development of common defence capabilities. The social framework conditions for both the military and the civilian members of the European armed forces and in consequence of the German Armed Forces do not currently play a role at the European level. It is regulated on national level. From the point of view of the DBwV a declaration can be made by the Member 4 States participating in the Permanent Structured Cooperation to ensure the best possible social conditions in the European armed forces. The Federal Government can campaign for it with the help of the Ministry of Defence. NATO In the course of NATO's armament against Russia, the German Armed Forces are setting up a new command centre for faster material and personnel transports and to coordinate their protection. It is envisaged that military will be trained and coordinated. This new command centre is being set up in Germany on a multinational and cross-armed basis. In an international operation it is under NATO command. Participation of Steinmetz The 2nd Deputy Federal Chairman and Head of the DBwV-EUROMIL-delegation, Captain Andreas Steinmetz, participated in events organized by EUROMIL member associations on the role of military organizations and the political and legal work of a professional association or trade union. He presents the DBwV and shared the German experiences. Annual report of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces, Hans-Peter Bartels, presented his annual report. There are big problems with personnel and material. The staff situation is very bad. He complimented the German Armed Forces Association on the close cooperation. The topic “inner lead” took up a lot of space. He responded to the trend reversals personnel, material and finances and underlined that the military must be financed. Tradition Decree Less than a year after the case of the right-wing extremist First Lieutenant Franco A., who has masked himself as a refugee and who planned attacks together with comrades, and after the beginning of a debate on the traditional understanding of the German Armed Forces new guidelines regulate the handling of the troops with traditions and the Wehrmacht.