The Bundeswehr is fine, it's coming...
(BRUSSELS2) Following NATO's decision to initiate an arms embargo control operation off Libya, the German government has announced its decision to resume command of two frigates and two warships with 550 sailors and military on board, and to withdraw its soldiers (about 60-70) from NATO Awacs carrying out reconnaissance missions in the Mediterranean. The frigate"Hamburg"(approx. 200 soldiers) and the ship"Oker"(approx. 80 soldiers) engaged in the anti-terrorism mission"Active Endeavor", thus return under the national flag just like the frigate "Lübeck"(approx. 220 soldiers) and the minehunter"Dates" (approx. 40 soldiers).
But this decision is not a one-way street. At the same time, Germany has decided to send 300 additional soldiers to Afghanistan to take part in AWACS reconnaissance flights until the end of January 2012. Libya.
The German Awacs mission in Afghanistan
To allow this additional commitment in Afghanistan, the maximum commitment limit will be increased to 5300 soldiers. A maximum never reached since the start of the operation in 2001 (until now the limit was set at 5000 plus a reserve of 350 soldiers for "special situations", a reservation that has never been used). The government cabinet must endorse this decision on Wednesday before it is submitted to the Bundestag on Friday. This should not be a problem. The CDU-CSU and the SPD, the two main parties the majority and the opposition have said yes, the Left (Die Linke) and the Greens do not agree, while the FDP, Westerwelle's party is still hesitating.
This mission of the NATO Awacs in Afghanistan had been decided in July 2009 but due to the lack of authorizations to fly over Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, the NATO machines could not be used. And the government had not renewed the authorization in December. A new mission had started in January, but Germany had postponed its response after the first 3 months.
