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
Süddeutsche Zeitung
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
SZ
,
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
world
, 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."
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Traffic light coalition: Defense working group deals with the Bundeswehr
The formal negotiations on a traffic light coalition began last Thursday.
From Wednesday on, 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, for example, by foreign policy expert Omid Nouripour.
For the FDP, among others, the foreign politician Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, who is associated with a ministerial office, as well as 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.
(as / afp)