27.05.2023, 09:49
Es mag vielleicht noch etwas arg weit hergeholt sein, aber abseits der eigentlichen NATO-Verbundenheit und auch der eindeutigen Zugehörigkeit zu Europa (die leidige EU- und Brexit-Diskussion einmal außen vor gelassen), gibt es Forderungen und Ideen auf beiden Seiten des Kanals hinsichtlich einer engeren Zusammenarbeit zwischen Deutschland und dem Vereinigten Königreich - quasi eine Art von deutsch-britischem Élysée-Vertrag auf militärischer Basis.
Wohin die Reise dann gehen soll, ist bislang allerdings noch nicht genau definiert, aber es wird zumindest einmal von einer gemeinsamen Verteidigungsagenda gemunkelt, die sich nicht zur Zusammenarbeit und Training, sondern auch der Entwicklung verschreiben soll - auch unter Einbeziehung geostrategischer Herausforderungen wie bspw. dem Klimawandel und den daraus resultierenden Problemen sowie der europäischen Perspektive ggü. Russland, wenn sich die USA verstärkt dem Pazifik zuwenden werden (bzw. was sie schon tun).
Schneemann
Wohin die Reise dann gehen soll, ist bislang allerdings noch nicht genau definiert, aber es wird zumindest einmal von einer gemeinsamen Verteidigungsagenda gemunkelt, die sich nicht zur Zusammenarbeit und Training, sondern auch der Entwicklung verschreiben soll - auch unter Einbeziehung geostrategischer Herausforderungen wie bspw. dem Klimawandel und den daraus resultierenden Problemen sowie der europäischen Perspektive ggü. Russland, wenn sich die USA verstärkt dem Pazifik zuwenden werden (bzw. was sie schon tun).
Zitat:A German-U.K. Defense Deal Can Strengthen NATOhttps://foreignpolicy.com/2023/05/22/nat...t-ukraine/
At a moment of profound change, Berlin and London must work together. [...]
May 22, 2023 [...]
The United Kingdom and Germany must enhance defense cooperation to strengthen European security after the illegal invasion of Ukraine. That is the conclusion of a landmark report from Germany’s Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) foundation and Britain-based think tank the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) that was published last week.
We strongly welcome this report and want a far-reaching U.K.-German defense and security agreement struck within six months of the next U.K. general election, as a joint initiative between U.K. Labour Party leader Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. [...]
The report outlines 19 recommendations to enhance U.K.-German defense cooperation, including how the U.K. and Germany could develop a bilateral treaty, work together more on joint procurement projects, and increase collaboration between the U.K. Armed Forces and German Bundeswehr on operations and training. [...] The two nations have compatible forces, collaborative industry, and common values. The U.K. Armed Forces and German Bundeswehr have a long history of operating and exercising together and a deep common understanding through British bases in Germany. [...]
Without one, collaboration has been ad hoc rather than systematic. For example, there have been 40 years of cooperation between the U.K. and Germany on fighter jets, and both countries have operated together in Kosovo and Afghanistan, and to counter the Islamic State. In March this year, the Royal Air Force and German Air Force started flying together as part of NATO’s joint air policing missions in Estonia for the first time, intercepting Russian planes. Yet just 28 German personnel are currently training in the U.K.; and only six U.K. personnel are training in Germany, including a single Brit with each of the German Navy and German Air Force. [...]
Allies are a strategic strength. We believe closer U.K.-German defense, security, and foreign-policy cooperation can greatly strengthen the two countries’ abilities to respond to shared challenges and protect their citizens. As the RUSI-FES report says, the U.K. and Germany are currently the top two European defense spenders and supporters of Ukraine in volume of military, economic, and humanitarian assistance. Transatlanticism and NATO are at the core of both country’s policies. [...]
There is good reason to believe Germany and the U.K. could develop a distinctive security agenda together. Security threats posed by inequality, climate change, and a lack of food, water, and healthcare have to be recognized; efforts to combat these threats must go hand-in-hand with proper investment in armed forces and military cooperation. One of NATO’s three core tasks, alongside defense and deterrence and cooperative security, remains crisis prevention, with the alliance committed to becoming “the leading international organisation when it comes to understanding and adapting to the impact of climate change.” [...]
For Labour, the report is a reminder that reconnecting with European allies is vital to U.K. national security. Labour accepts Brexit, and will not be rejoining the European Union or the single market; but to make Brexit work, Britain must rebuild relationships with key European allies that have been damaged—often deliberately—by the U.K. government’s actions in recent years. A U.K.-German security treaty would be a significant step in this process.
Schneemann