German Out-Of-Area Deployment Update

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 BERLIN 000669 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: MOPS PREL MARR NATO EUN GM AF SU KV BK LE GG ET SUBJECT: German Out-Of-Area Deployment Update REF: A) Berlin 250 B) Berlin 620 ¶1. (SBU) As of early May, Germany had just over 7,000 military personnel in out-of-area deployments (compared to 6,657 in mid-February),plus 5,700 on stand-by for the NATO Response Force (NRF). All armed military out-of-area (OOA) deployments, with the exception of those in support of UN observer missions, require parliamentary approval. A 2005 Deployment Law regulates the parliamentary process, allowing expedited procedures only for non-controversial deployments. What follows is a brief run-down on Germany's current OOA deployments. (Note: OOA deployments are defined as deployments outside the territory of the NATO member states. End Note.) -------------- The Deployment Law -------------- ¶2. (SBU) According to a landmark 1994 Constitutional Court decision and a subsequent 2005 Deployment Law, the Bundestag must approve in advance the deployment of any Germany armed forces outside of Germany. The Deployment Law provides for urgent armed deployments to go forward without the prior approval of the Bundestag, but most German officials view this as applying in only the most exigent of circumstances, when there is literally no time to obtain Bundestag approval between the outbreak of a crisis and the need to respond militarily. Even in these circumstances, the Deployment Law requires the government to seek Bundestag approval as soon as possible and if it is not forthcoming, the deployment must be terminated. ¶3. (SBU) In a decision that is likely to make it even more cumbersome for the government to deploy German armed forces overseas, the German Constitutional Court ruled May 7 that the government's decision to allow German air crews to participate in the NATO AWACS mission in Turkey in 2003, on the eve of the war in Iraq, without first seeking approval of the Bundestag, was unconstitutional. The Court dismissed the assertion of the then-Social Democratic/Greens coalition government that the AWACS deployment was just a "routine," unarmed reconnaissance mission, arguing that there were "tangible, factual indicators" that the German AWACS air crews could have been drawn into armed conflict. The Court reaffirmed the Bundeswehr as a "parliamentary army," underscoring that the German Basic Law (Constitution) "entrusted the decision about peace and war to the German Bundestag as the representative body of the people." The Court emphasized that when in doubt about whether it is necessary to obtain Bundestag approval, the government should err on the side of seeking parliamentary permission. (See Ref B for further reporting and analysis on this Constitutional Court decision.) -------------- - International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) -------------- - ¶4. (SBU) The Bundeswehr currently has 3,446 military personnel (3,445 in February) operating under ISAF in Afghanistan based on a one-year combined mandate approved by the Bundestag October 12. This combined mandate includes deployment of six Tornado reconnaissance aircraft, which were previously covered by a separate mandate. The troop ceiling for the mandate is 3,500. ¶5. (SBU) Germany has been active in ISAF since the operation's creation in January 2002, and was the first country to volunteer to lead an ISAF Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) outside of Kabul. Germany currently commands ISAF's northern region (RC-North),where it leads two of the five PRTs (Kunduz and Feyzabad) as well as the Forward Support Base in Mazar-E-Sharif. On February 23, Germany inaugurated a Provincial Advisory Team (PAT),a mini-PRT in Takhar province with around 50 civilian and military personnel total. ¶6. (SBU) The Bundeswehr has taken on, or has committed to take on, a number of additional tasks in recent months, which will soon bring it right up against the current troop ceiling of 3,500: -- Germany will take over the Regional Command-North Quick Reaction Force (QRF) company in June. This will be the first time Germany will have a force (consisting of about 200 troops) that can be quickly deployed around the country on short notice and which can conduct combat missions. This will constitute a significant change in the character of the Bundeswehr deployment in Afghanistan, whose forces up to now have been focused almost solely on stabilization BERLIN 00000669 002 OF 005 and force protection missions. German officials point out that the primary mission of the QRF is to respond to emergencies in RC-North, but they also have said that Germany will come to the aid of Allies (i.e., outside RC-North) when required. Such exceptions are explicitly allowed by the ISAF mandate (see para 10 below). -- Germany is tripling the number of troops (from 100 to 300) devoted to training of the Afghan National Army (ANA). Besides fielding additional Operational Mentoring and Liaison Teams (OMLTs), up to a total of seven, Germany also plans to expand a drivers and mechanics school in Kabul into a logisticians' training center, set up a combat engineer school in Kabul and establish an infantry training center in Mazar-e-Sharif. -- Germany has increased the number of military policemen devoted to training of the Afghan National Police (ANP) in Mazar-e Sharif from 30 to 45. -- In the wake of a numerous rocket attacks against PRT Kunduz, Germany has deployed a company of 200 airborne infantry soldiers in February to do regular patrolling in the immediate area around the PRT. ¶7. (SBU) German Chief of Defense Gen. Schneiderhan has raised concerns publicly that the lack of headroom under the troop ceiling could hinder the Bundeswehr in responding to an unexpected crisis. While some parliamentarians have expressed a willingness to consider an earlier renewal of the ISAF mandate, which would allow an increase in the troop ceiling, the Grand Coalition government (Christian Democratic Union and Social Democratic Party) has reportedly decided against seeking any changes to the mandate before it expires in October. One consideration against an early increase in the troop ceiling is the September 28 Bavarian State election. The Christian Social Union (CSU),a sister party of the CDU that has controlled the Bavarian state government since 1957, is concerned that any parliamentary debate or decision on Afghanistan could undermine its ability to win the election and maintain its majority. ¶8. (SBU) When the ISAF mandate comes up for renewal in October, the current expectation is that the government will not seek approval for any additional tasks or missions for the Bundeswehr, especially concerning the deployment of combat troops outside the north. With parliamentary elections expected in the fall of 2009, and public support for the mission continuing to lag, the government parties are likely to seek a simple roll-over of the mndate that minimizes controversy and debate. Hoever, the overall troop ceiling will probably b increased by 500 or 1,000 to give the Bundeswehr more cushion in carrying out already approved tasks. The renewed mandate, which is normally valid for one year, is expected to run an extra two months or so, to December 2009, so that it does not expire until after the 2009 parliamentary elections are held and the new government is formed. ¶9. (SBU) Germany currently provides OMLTs for ANA maneuver battalions based in Kunduz and Feyzabad. It also contributes to two multinational OMLTs -- one for the HQ of the 209th Corps and the other for the HQ of the 1st Brigade of the 209th Corps. Both HQs are located in Mazar-E-Sharif. Germany plans to contribute three additional OMLTs as a new ANA brigade (2nd Brigade, 209th Corps) and its subordinate battalions are fielded in the north over the next year. Germany also plans to build garrisons for the new brigade in the north. ¶10. (SBU) The ISAF mandate defines the German area of operations as the northern region and Kabul. However, an exception in the mandate allows for temporary, limited deployments to other parts of the country on a case-by-case basis if deemed "absolutely necessary" to the overall ISAF mission. Any proposed deployments outside the north and Kabul are subject to approval by the Minister of Defense. In May 2007, at the request of ISAF, Defense Minister Jung approved the temporary deployment (three to four weeks) of a three-man psychological operations team to southern Afghanistan. German radio operators have been deployed for several months to provide communication support to Regional Command South in Kandahar. ¶11. (SBU) In the fall of 2007 and again in May 2008, Jung approved the temporary deployment of a small number of Bundeswehr soldiers outside the north to provide medical and intelligence support to combat operations against insurgents in Region West. None of the German soldiers, however, was directly involved in combat operations. For the May 2008 operation, German members of the multinational OMLT for the 209th Corps HQ were part of the group BERLIN 00000669 003 OF 005 authorized to deploy, the first time that German OMLT members were allowed to deploy outside the north (albeit for a Corps HQ and not a fighting unit). MOD has thus far not allowed German OMLTs assigned to infantry ANA battalions to deploy outside the north. ¶12. (SBU) Meanwhile, the ISAF mandate allows the Tornado reconnaissance aircraft to operate throughout Afghanistan, but restricts the resulting information from being distributed outside of ISAF channels. The information can only be passed to OEF in instances where doing so directly supports ISAF operations. Since the end of January 2008, Germany has provided an additional two C-160 Transall aircraft Afghanistan to ISAF, for a total of eight. -------------- Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) -------------- ¶13. (SBU) The parliamentary mandate for OEF was extended for one year on November 15. It allows for the deployment of up to 1,400 personnel. Currently, there are 263 German sailors (226 in February) and one frigate under OEF, operating around the Horn of Africa. The German frigate "Bremen" recently came to the rescue of two commercial Japanese ships, which were being attacked by pirates. ¶14. (SBU) The mandate includes an authorization for the deployment of up to 100 German Special Forces (KSK) to Afghanistan. Reportedly, no KSK have been deployed to Afghanistan under OEF in three years, which led some politicians to question the utility of maintaining this part of the mandate during last fall's debate over its renewal. The Afghanistan portion of the OEF has become a "virtual mandate," the main purpose of which is to demonstrate solidarity with the United States. There is little parliamentary support for actually deploying the KSK to Afghanistan under OEF. ¶15. (SBU) Despite parliamentary approval, OEF remains unpopular in Germany due to misperceptions of the mission as a strictly combat operation and its association with civilian casualties. OEF is an especially divisive issue within the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the junior party in the Grand Coalition government. Some 42 SPD parliamentarians -- about 20% of the caucus -- voted against extending the OEF mandate this past year. While significantly higher than in 2006, when only 13 opposed OEF, the number of defections is significantly below what the SPD suffered in March 2007, when 69 voted against the original deployment of Tornado reconnaissance aircraft to Afghanistan. ¶16. (SBU) During the parliamentary debate on OEF, FM Steinmeier called for evaluating whether OEF could be mandated in the future through a UNSCR, rather than continuing to rely on the self-defense provisions of Article 51 of the UN Charter. He also called for examining the possibility of transferring the ANA training mission from OEF to ISAF, thereby continuing the trend toward an ever larger ISAF and smaller OEF. Finally, he proposed holding an international conference in the coming months to take stock of progress in achieving the goals of the Afghanistan Compact. While there has been no concrete follow-up on the first two proposals, Germany is supporting France in hosting the June 12 Paris Conference. ¶17. (SBU) Renewal of the OEF mandate could be difficult this coming fall, given the upcoming 2009 national parliamentary election and the fact that public support for the operation remains very low. However, the government is likely to seek renewal of the mandate in any event, believing that failing to do so could send a bad signal about Germany's commitment to the war on terror. -------------- Kosovo Force (KFOR) -------------- ¶18. (SBU) Germany currently has 2,645 military personnel (compared to 2,182 in February) in KFOR, far below that allowed under the parliamentary mandate (8,500). There is a German Operational Reserve Force (ORF) battalion on stand-by in Germany to reinforce KFOR as necessary. The ORF battalion, temporary deployed to Kosovo from mid-November to mid-December, returned as scheduled. The mandate is extended automatically each year unless there is a change to the UNSC Resolution framework for the Kosovo Force. Germany formally recognized Kosovo's independence on February 20 in a letter from President Koehler. The government made clear that it still considers UNSCR 1244 as the legal basis for KFOR, a position that BERLIN 00000669 004 OF 005 all parties in the Bundestag, except the small Left Party (roughly 12% support nationally),support. -------------- European Union Force (EUFOR) Bosnia -------------- ¶19. (SBU) Germany currently has approximately 130 soldiers (compared to 127 in February) in Bosnia as part of the EU's Operation ALTHEA. Most of the German soldiers are deployed as liaison and observer teams. The mandate, amended December 1, allows the deployment of up to 2,400 military personnel. This operation extends automatically unless there is a change to its underlying UNSC resolution. In 2007, Germany reduced its military presence in Bosnia by more than 700 military personnel in coordination with other allies. Germany is relying more on home-based reserve forces and less on deployed troops to provide the necessary security support for the implementation of reform measures mandated by the Dayton Peace agreement. -------------- --- United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) -------------- --- ¶20. (SBU) Germany leads UNIFIL's naval component and has 464 military personnel deployed (compared to 619 in January). The current mandate, authorizing up to 1,400 military personnel, expires on September 12. On February 29, Germany handed over the command of UNIFIL's naval component to EUROMARFOR, a joint non-permanent fleet including Portugal, Spain, France and Italy. An Italian general assumed command. -------------- Sudan (UNAMID and UNMIS) -------------- ¶21. (SBU) Germany currently has 39 military observers in the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS),monitoring the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. The parliament imposed a caveat barring military observers from going to Darfur without prior consultation with the Bundestag Foreign Relations Committee's chairman and ranking members. The mandate, which was extended for an additional year on November 15, allows for the participation of up to 75 German military observers. ¶22. (SBU) The Bundestag approved a new mandate in support of the UN/AU hybrid mission in Darfur (UN Assistance Mission in Darfur, UNAMID) on November 15. The new UNAMID mandate replaces the previous African Union Mission in the Sudan (AMIS) mandate. It authorizes the Bundeswehr to deploy transport aircraft and up to 200 troops in support of the UN/AU hybrid mission. -------------- Georgia (UNOMIG) -------------- ¶23. (SBU) Germany has been part of the UN Observer Mission in the Abkhazian region of Georgia (UNOMIG) since 1998 and currently has 12 personnel stationed there, most of whom are medical personnel and military observers. To meet a UN request for additional medical personnel, the German cabinet decided last August to raise the personnel ceiling for this mission from 13 to 20. -------------- Other minor deployments -------------- ¶24. (SBU) Two military observers serve in the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE). One German military observer is seconded to the United Nation Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). The Bundeswehr has seconded 41 military personnel to Strategic Medical Evacuation (STRATAIRMEDEVAC),for which no parliamentary mandate is required, since it is not an armed deployment and the stand-by aircraft are stationed in Germany. -------------- Other force commitments -------------- ¶25. (SBU) The Bundeswehr currently has 5,700 soldiers committed for the tenth rotation of the NATO Response Force (NRF). There are no Bundeswehr soldiers assigned to EU Battle Groups in the first half of 2008. BERLIN 00000669 005 OF 005 -------------- Bundeswehr transformation -------------- ¶26. (SBU) The Bundeswehr is currently undergoing a transformation process, the goal of which is to be able to send up to 14,000 soldiers to as many as five different theaters for stabiization missions by 2010. The Bundeswehr will be reduced from its pre-transformation level of 270,000 to a final strength of 250,000 (162,300 Army, 62,700 Air Force and 25,000 Navy). The new Bundeswehr will be composed of three different groups: 35,000 for intervention forces, 70,000 for stabilization forces and 147,000 for support forces. Part of the Bundeswehr's transformation is a comprehensive rebasing program, which is also intended to be completed by 2010. Moreover, transformation includes the procurement of new equipment to fill capability gaps, mainly in the fields of strategic air lift, network centric warfare and armored vehicles. Due to limited funding (Germany spends just 1.3 percent of its GDP on defense, with few prospects of significant increases in the future) and defense industry delays (mainly by EADS),the equipping side of transformation is behind schedule.