Foreign missions with unclear goals, faulty material and disaster control in the event of floods and pandemics – the traffic lights are facing major challenges in terms of defense policy. Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann helped negotiate the coalition agreement in the Working Group on Foreign Affairs, Security, Defense, Development and Human Rights – in the meantime, her name has also been used for the post of Minister of Defense.
The ministry finally went to the SPD, who exactly will take over the office will be decided this week. In an interview, Strack-Zimmermann warns that a new minister must subject the Bundeswehr to a critical appraisal – especially when it comes to the inflated management staff: “It simply needs fewer chiefs than Indians”.
She also defends the decision of the traffic light to introduce an overarching budget for “international action”. Because the Bundeswehr can only act like an “anesthetist” during an operation. So while the Bundeswehr was deployed, development aid and diplomacy had to help rebuild a nation. That was missing in Afghanistan and in Mali too, one had to be clear about the specific goals.
In addition, Strack-Zimmermann believes in the necessity of an army for all European states. But she also admits that this is a long-term project that she “will probably never see again” to be achieved.
Top jobs of the day
Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.
Read the full interview here:
Ms. Strack-Zimmermann, are you disappointed that you did not become Minister of Defense?
The core issues of the Free Democrats, with whom we also competed in the election campaign, are finance, education, digitization and the rule of law. It is a remarkable achievement that we can fill these future issues with Free Democrats. Had there been the option of a further ministry, the defense department would also have been in very good hands with us. Of course, I was happy to have been mentioned again and again in this context.
A new defense minister will face major challenges. The Bundeswehr is currently in great demand at home too …
In times of pandemic or natural disasters, such as the flood disaster in Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia in summer, the Bundeswehr supports the civilian forces. Their primary task, however, is national and alliance defense.
And that is the problem: at the moment, the number of soldiers who are back in action in Corona crisis management is increasing to such an extent that this is not without consequences for the primary tasks of the Bundeswehr, because the soldiers have to yes be prepared accordingly for their possible uses. This is then only possible to a limited extent. One reason, by the way, to focus much more on civil protection and to expand and standardize the networking of the Bundeswehr with the civilian departments inside.
What are other major construction sites in the coming years?
It is imperative that the Bundeswehr be subjected to a critical review. It simply needs fewer chiefs than Indians. Procurement is also one of the major construction sites. The procurement processes have to be shortened and more products on the market have to be purchased. The industry should be on board, also with regard to the maintenance of the material.
The question of financing also arises there. The new government wants to spend three percent of GDP on “international action” – that is, defense, diplomacy and development cooperation. Is that a farewell to NATO’s two percent target?
If the gross domestic product falls as it does now, we will come closer to the two percent target without objectively bringing more to the streets. More meaningful, however, is to put on the table which capabilities we have promised NATO, how we will implement them as quickly as possible and which ones we need for financial resources. The decisive factor is not the mere percentage, but what comes out in the end.
“The Bundeswehr is like an anesthetist in an operation”
And why do you want to combine that with development and diplomacy?
The Bundeswehr is like an anesthetist in an operation. It can temporarily immobilize the patient, but political surgery must also be carried out in this phase. Otherwise the anesthesia would have been in vain. Diplomacy and development aid must therefore be effective during a military operation. That was the big mistake in Afghanistan: The switch from counter-terrorism after 9/11 to nation-building failed. We can deploy the Bundeswehr in many regions, but that won’t improve anything in the long term if we don’t question why crises arose and what needs to be done to get to the root of the problem.
Are we making a similar mistake in Mali right now?
The presumably new foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, will have to deal with the objectives of such missions in a very differentiated way before bringing the mandate to parliament for a vote. Because the Federal Foreign Office is in charge of this question. I don’t think we can just go on like this.
We are in Mali in our tenth year, and it deserves clarity and honesty to answer the questions: Why are we working there, what specific goal are we pursuing and what measures are taking effect? And already we are on the big issue of migration: Are we there to prevent wars in principle or, above all, to prevent the resulting refugee movements in the direction of Europe? That is definitely a reason to be active there. But then you should communicate it that way.
Migration: How should Germany and Europe deal with the refugee situation on the Polish-Belarusian border?
Belarus is trying to destabilize the EU with Russia’s approval. This is undoubtedly a hybrid attack on Europe. It is particularly perfidious to send people on their way and use them as weapons. You can’t beat that in terms of perfidy. It is therefore primarily the task of the EU to support countries such as Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, which have a border with Belarus, in securing the European external borders.
At the same time, however, it is our interest to de-escalate there – military missions are therefore out of place. I would like the Polish government to make it possible for the people there in the border area to be looked after by UNHCR. In addition, a body is needed on site – outside the EU – to clarify who may be entitled to asylum and who will have to return to their home country.
In the coalition agreement there is also talk of “common European command structures”. Is the goal to create a European army?
To have a common army for all European countries remains our goal, although there is still a very long way to go – the goal of which I will probably never see it again. The prerequisite for this is a common EU foreign and defense policy. For us liberals, this is a great European project that we will not lose sight of. In the long run, we will only be able to solve international challenges together, especially when it comes to security issues.
More: Researchers at the Bundeswehr University: “We fed a corrupt class in Afghanistan”