Themes - The Army -- A Powerful Instrument of German Foreign and Security Policy - After the terrorist attacks in the USA of September 11, 2001, the Federal Chancellor has promised the unrestricted solidarity of Germany. But who is going to answer for this in the first place when it is about the redemption of this significant political pledge? The previous practice made it only too plain that this will be mainly the Army. For in Germany it is primarily the Army that has the military capabilities which our partners expect of us in critical situations. In the Bundeswehr planning and allocation of budgetary funds for modernization investments, these political special tasks of the Army are only insufficiently taken into account, however. Most of the budgetary appropriations are provided for major projects like fighter and transport aircraft, submarines and corvettes. As a result, there is scarcely any money left for the many absolutely necessary small procurement projects of the operating forces. The originally 50-percent share of the Army in modernization investments has declined to just about 20 percent in the past years. The Bundeswehr is presently in an extensive transformation process from a manoeuvre army of the Cold War into an operating army for the performance of German foreign and security interests. Of the current missions, the Army has to carry out more than 80 percent. Can it really meet these challenges?

In: Europäische Sicherheit: Politik, Streitkräfte, Wirtschaft, Technik, Band 51, Heft 9, S. 17-23