Traffic light course change in the armed forces? The SPD and the Greens apparently want to torpedo the AKK plan

How will the Bundeswehr be organized in a possible traffic light coalition?

Apparently there are initial plans for this.

Berlin - The Bundeswehr is only mentioned sporadically in the exploratory paper recently presented by the possible traffic light parties SPD, Greens and FDP.

“Our soldiers make an indispensable contribution to international security.

We are improving their equipment as well as that of the Bundeswehr, ”it says briefly.

What plans do the SPD, Greens and FDP have with the Bundeswehr?

A first goal is already emerging.

Traffic light coalition: parties apparently want to stop the Bundeswehr from increasing staff numbers

Before the start of the traffic light coalition negotiations at the working level, all three parties are apparently planning to stop the increase in personnel in the Bundeswehr. The

reported in its Wednesday edition, citing party circles, that especially the SPD and the Greens want to move away from the plans of the outgoing Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (CDU). These were aimed at increasing the Bundeswehr from currently around 183,000 to 203,000 soldiers over the next ten years.

According to the

,

the FDP

said that the Liberals would not oppose giving up this goal - if the Bundeswehr could carry out its tasks with fewer personnel than previously planned.

The SPD, the Greens and the FDP have committed to better equipping the Bundeswehr.

The force is in the middle of a modernization process.

In the coming years, investments in the billions are due.

Within the Bundeswehr, the reaction to the reports, as

reported by

the

, is divided.

"A relatively small Bundeswehr faces an unprecedented scale and parallelism of crises and conflicts," the chairman of the Bundeswehr Association, André Wüstner, is quoted as saying.

"For that reason alone, shrinkage is not an option."

Video: Bundeswehr - Steinmeier draws mixed results from the Afghanistan mission

Traffic light coalition: Defense working group deals with the Bundeswehr

The formal negotiations on a traffic light coalition began last Thursday.

From Wednesday onwards, 22 joint working groups are to come together in different places and at different times.

The aim of the SPD, FDP and the Greens is to agree on a coalition agreement by the end of November.

At the beginning of December, SPD chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz could then be elected head of government.

A working group deals with the areas of foreign affairs, security, defense, development and human rights - and thus also with the Bundeswehr.

Foreign Minister Heiko Maas is one of the members of the SPD, while the Greens are represented by foreign policy expert Omid Nouripour, for example.

For the FDP, among others, the foreign politician Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, who is associated with a ministerial office, and Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, who also acted as minister, are present.

The coalition negotiations started on Wednesday (October 27).

Before that, the parties commented on the future Corona strategy - and also named a date when all Corona measures will fall.