Bundeswehr

Arnold: “the Bundeswehr needs focus”

The white book of the Bundeswehr contains the guidelines of the German defence policy. The Federal government decided a new. To do so, the defense policy spokesman of the SPD Rainer Arnold in the DW-Interview.

Bundeswehr soldiers in the NATO exercise “Dragon” in Poland

Deutsche Welle: The previous white paper in front of the defence policy principles since 2006. It was getting on in years, while the world is changing. German defense Minister von der Leyen wanted to allow in the new white paper actually Bundeswehr missions in Germany. The SPD parliamentary group was against it. Why?

Rainer Arnold: According to the previous legal situation, the German armed forces assistance Inside making, in the case of a disaster, in case of severe attacks or disasters. To you do also. What we want is that the Constitution is amended. The wanted von der Leyen and parts of the CDU, the German armed forces in the basic standard for police, similar to use to transfer the state monopoly on the use of the Bundeswehr Inside. We think that is not necessary and we will keep it as a thing to be wrong and not helpful.

Why do you think the use of the Bundeswehr is not helpful in times in which the police counter-terrorism, violence, riots and refugee problems hardly can cope with?

Rainer Arnold: “We need to focus on what the Bundeswehr can be good”

Soldiers are not trained in the civilian environment, to control with weapons in Hand, people. You would need access to the police computers, to name an example. Otherwise it makes no sense, if you are not allowed to check people and much more. I think it is not a false security that would arise, especially since the German army is at the moment not even able to guard their own barracks. This, too, has been handed over to foreign companies because the staffing is so thin.

You would take the risk, to place a pillar of internal security on the armed forces. The extremely tight personnel ceiling is not feasible. Therefore, it is right that the police personnel so to ensure that they will meet your demands. Then, the Bundeswehr can support in the course of mutual assistance – the police, of course. You can educate, people transport, and catering. There are many things in which you can the police actually relieve. It comes to the application of state violence. This with the Bundeswehr in domestic exercise, we think, wrong.

The white paper indicates that there should be more international Bundeswehr missions. Can cope with the Bundeswehr?

At the moment, the Bundeswehr, in particular, in the case of technical specialists, at the edge. As it is situated just, you can’t afford much and that is why I think this wording in the white paper is also not happy. Nobody urges Yes to international operations. I think we need to make priorities, especially on missions for the United Nations. That is what we are doing in Mali. I think that’s reasonable. We can’t get bogged down, it takes anywhere a high concurrency of logistics and is at the moment not available.

The extent to which you feel as a member of the Bundestag, the international Demand, that Germany is involved with the armed forces international?

International politics is not the feeling that we will leave you alone. The German armed forces and Germany in comparison to other countries a whole lot, you can see the difference. We are recognized in front of all of the things that, because we are a very reliable Partner. So we go, if we have somewhere to go, and have taken, simply, as many others do. In this respect, we have a high level of recognition.

But it is also true that the United Nations ten international peace missions for your screen more support in the industrial States want. The soldiers on the ground come primarily from developing countries, the technology, air mobility, medical technology, communications technology, so the expensive things need but. What is missing here is the United Nations. Since the expectation is clearly that in all of these areas.

Ursula von der Leyen at the presentation of the white book

What places would be conceivable?

At the moment there is nothing at all in the conversation, and that is why I think this formulation is also a bit questionable. We do not know the future. At the moment, the Bundeswehr is busy, very good, and we should rather hope that one or the other use comes to an end, because the Region is pacified.

Generally speaking, the white paper: What you see is positive, what is negative?

The white paper takes, in fact, very correctly, the changed international security situation, with a very multi-layered, and unpredictable security situation, describes and analyzes the Situation correctly. Also, what is Cyber, so conflicts, which take place on the Internet. The hybrid threats, not soldiers and armies but, rather, to destabilize societies from the inside out. That is all right.

What bothers me a bit, is not that honest when it comes to the finances. It is still done as if Germany wanted to reach the Nato target of two percent of gross domestic product for defense spending, and would. This is a pure Illusion. Since we are miles far away, we will not achieve it. And I don’t think that it security would be a political necessity, instead of now 36 billion to almost 60 billion euros annually. If you are not honest, Bundeswehr at the end of a wrong, because it then leads everything with handbrake to the mediocrity. I think we need a debate on prioritisation. Where do we want to be, what is important to us and where there are fields, which we can’t Afford more?

Where could be the German army as really good?

There are some areas in which Germany is very well positioned. We can be, for example, in the ground-based air defenses, if they come, then, and very good. This is a very expensive column, which can not afford any other way.

Rainer Arnold, since 2002, defense policy spokesman of the SPD.

The interview was conducted by Wolfgang Dick.