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Viewing cable 08BERLIN669, German Out-Of-Area Deployment Update

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
08BERLIN669 2008-05-21 06:32 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Berlin
VZCZCXRO9288
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHBW RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHRL #0669/01 1420632
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 210632Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY BERLIN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1262
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RHMFIUU/COMSOCEUR VAIHINGEN GE
RHMFISS/CDRUSAREUR HEIDELBERG GE
RHMFIUU/HQ USAFE RAMSTEIN AB GE
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUEHRL/USDAO BERLIN GE
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.