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Wed, 7 Jan 04
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NE-@latvia-usa.org
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Jan 07, 2004 09:30 PST
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NATO ENLARGEMENT DAILY BRIEF (NEDB)
Wednesday, 07 January 2004, 12:29 EDT
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* NATO TAKES OVER AFGHAN PEACE-BUILDING MISSION FROM U.S. ?
AP
* EU CAN BOOST DEFENCE WITHOUT SIDELINING NATO: FRENCH FM -
AFP
* LATVIA PREPARES ROTATION OF TROOPS IN IRAQ ? LETA /
Edmunds Ozolnieks
* BULGARIAN SOLDIERS REFUSE DUTY IN IRAQ AFTER DEADLY
ATTACK ? AFP
* DANISH TROOPS IN IRAQ BEING KEPT FROM ACTION: DANISH
SERGEANT ? AFP
* ROMANIA OFFERS TO SUPPLY WEAPONS TO IRAQ ? AFP
* BULGARIA GOVT TO PROPOSE COL. KIROV AS HEAD OF
INTELLIGENCE- Bulgarian News Digest
* TOP INTERNATIONAL OFFICIAL WARNS BOSNIA TO ADOPT REFORMS
BY JUNE ? AP
* NEW NATO CHIEF TO VISIT TO BALKANS ? AP
* GREEK PREMIER SEEKS EARLY ELECTIONS ? AP
* CLARK CLOSING IN ON DEAN AMONG DEMOCRATS NATIONALLY: POLL
? AP
* NEW CANADIAN GOVT SETS DEFENSE, FOREIGN POLICY REVIEW -
Defense News / David Pugliese
* MIXED REACTIONS GREET BUNDESWEHR BLUEPRINT FOR CHANGE -
Defense News / Martin Agüera
* BRITAIN?S NAVY SHRINKING TO SMALLER THAN FRANCE: REPORT ?
AFP
* BELGIUM MAY PARE ITS ARMED FORCES - Defense News / Brooks
Tigner
* U.N. ENVOY TO AFGHANISTAN STEPS DOWN AFTER TWO YEARS ? AP
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NATO TAKES OVER AFGHAN PEACE-BUILDING MISSION FROM US
AP, 6 Jan 04
KUNDUZ, Afghanistan (AP)--North Atlantic Treaty
Organization-led peacekeepers took over command of a
peace-building mission in northern Afghanistan on Tuesday,
the first step in a plan for the alliance to expand out of
the capital and into the country's troubled provinces ahead
of crucial summer elections.
Troops from Germany, the first nation to respond to U.N.
and Afghan calls to provide more troops, took control of
the operation based in Kunduz, 250 kilometers north of
Kabul, from the U.S.
Germany is deploying an initial 170 troops, though the
number is expected to rise to over 200 later this year.
Other NATO nations are expected to take over a string of
so-called provincial reconstruction teams, freeing up the
U.S. military to focus on battling Taliban insurgents in
the south and east.
The teams are supposed to provide security in key urban
centers, reassuring aid workers and becalming feuding local
militias who still control much of the country.
Six are already dotted around the country - including teams
operated by the U.K. and New Zealand - and the U.S.
military is opening five more in towns across a troubled
band of territory along the Pakistani border.
Some 5,500 international peacekeepers, mostly Canadians and
Germans, are already patrolling in the capital. NATO has
agreed in principle to expand into a string of key regional
capitals. But member nations have been slow to come forward
with more men or equipment.
EUROPE CAN BOOST DEFENCE COOPERATION WITHOUT SIDELINING
NATO - FRENCH FM
AFP, 6 Jan 04
NATO will remain the cornerstone of European defence policy
despite plans to give the European Union an independent
military planning capability, French Foreign Minister
Dominique de Villepin said Tuesday.
"That we are all very attached to NATO, the force of this
alliance is evident," he said during an address to a
meeting in Lisbon of Portuguese ambassadors.
"At no moment has anyone proposed setting up rival bodies
to NATO, to create duplications, that would be
unproductive, useless, to get into such rivalries."
In December the EU adopted plans for an independent
military planning cell proposed by Britain, France and
Germany which would seek to enhance the bloc's abilities to
respond to UN requests to intervene in global hotspots.
The unit will be based with the EU's existing military
staff in Brussels, where NATO also has its headquarters.
"The transatlantic relationship continues to be, more than
ever, a central axis of Europe's foreign policy," the
minister said.
"What is important is that each time Europe wishes to act,
it should be able to do so if it so wishes," he added.
LATVIA PREPARES ROTATION OF TROOPS IN IRAQ
LETA, 5 Jan 04, by Edmunds Ozolnieks
RIGA, Jan 5 (LETA) - An official farewell ceremony for ten
Latvian soldiers departing for Iraq will be held at the
Adazi Mobile Infantry Training Center at 2 p.m. today. The
ten soldiers are to arrange a Latvian company's arrival in
Iraq later this month.
The Ministry of Defense informed that two servicemen would
replace Latvian representatives at the U.S. coalition
forces in Baghdad, one officer will join Polish contingent
in Babylon, one officer - Polish general staff, and one
officer - battalion headquarters.
Five soldiers will go to Iraq to arrange Latvian infantry
company's arrival in Iraq at end-January, the ministry
said.
As reported, a National Armed Forces unit of 105 men has
launched pre-mission training before going to Iraq, it is
planned that the soldiers will leave for Iraq at
end-January.
The unit includes an infantry company, two military
policemen, three staff officers, one reconnaissance officer
and one instructor-signalman.
The first Latvian unit left for Iraq in August 2003. One
soldier was injured in an accident, he has already returned
to Latvia.
As reported, on December 4, 2003, Saeima prolonged National
Armed Forces troops' participation in peacekeeping mission
in Iraq within the United Nations Multinational Force until
October 16, 2004.
BULGARIAN SOLDIERS REFUSE DUTY IN IRAQ AFTER DEADLY ATTACK
AFP, 6 Jan 04
Some 40 soldiers have pulled out of a 500-man battalion for
Iraq since five compatriots were killed in a suicide truck
bomb attack that wrecked the Bulgarian base in the holy
Shiite city of Karbala last month, Deputy Defense Minister
Ilko Dimitrov said Jan. 6.
A total of 42 soldiers withdrew, almost all of them during
the national day of mourning Dec. 30, three days after the
attack, but two or three have since changed their minds,
said Dimitrov in an interview with the newspaper Dnevnik.
The battalion is due to leave this month to replace 480
Bulgarian troops who have served since September as part of
a 9,000-strong Polish-led multinational contingent
supporting the U.S.-British occupying force in Iraq.
A multiple car bomb attack killed 19 people and wounded
200 on Dec. 27 in Karbala, 70 miles south of Baghdad. The
dead included five Bulgarian soldiers, the first casualties
suffered by Bulgaria in Iraq. Another 64 Bulgarians were
wounded.
Members of the replacement battalion have demanded that a
clause be written in their contracts stipulating that they
can pull out of the mission at any time and return home,
said a Bulgarian radio report Jan. 2.
The chief of staff, General Nikola Nolev, told a radio
interviewer that ?the principal of voluntary participation
in international missions is guaranteed by law? and that
?no one will exert pressure? on the soldiers.
However, he added that those who wish to pull out would
have to reimburse the cost of transport and medical exams.
The general acknowledged that the Bulgarian military in
Iraq lacked armor-plated transport for patrolling streets
and had been forced to use unprotected vehicles.
In an interview with the newspaper Troud, retired general
Radoslav Peshleyevski, a logistics expert, alleged that
there had been ?fundamental mistakes? in protecting the
Bulgarian base and vehicles in Karbala.
DANISH TROOPS IN IRAQ BEING KEPT FROM ACTION: DANISH
SERGEANT
AFP, 6 Jan 04
A sergeant in Denmark?s military force in Iraq issued a
stinging criticism of his superiors Jan. 6, accusing them
of keeping the country?s 500-strong contingent cooped up on
their base instead of sending them out on potentially
dangerous missions.
?We?re using taxpayers? money to relax at Camp Eden,? Caleb
Noltensmejer, 52, said in the latest issue of CS Bladet, a
internal newsletter for Denmark?s largest Defense employee
union CS.
Noltensmejer, who has spent 30 years in the army, is part
of a scouting squadron stationed at Camp Eden near Qurnah,
in the region of the southern city of Basra, which is under
British command.
?We stand watch a bit in the watch towers, do the dishes
after the meals, wash the floor of the Internet cafe and of
the work-out tent, and we spend a lot of time housekeeping
and on guard duty,? he said.
Noltensmejer claimed that the Danish officers in Iraq,
along with the top brass back in Denmark, have realized
that most of the Danish soldiers are not trained for the
missions expected of them in the war-torn country.
The fact that only one Danish soldier has died in Iraq --
killed by friendly fire -- since the Scandinavian country
started sending troops there last year, has little to do
with their skills and a lot to do with the fact that they
rarely leave their base, Noltensmejer charged.
Colonel Niels-Joergen Qvist of the Danish army?s
operational command rejected the criticism.
?The soldiers who took over in Iraq last Oct. 12 have
covered about 160,000 kilometers, confiscated 314 weapons
and arrested 65 people,? he told Agence France-Presse.
Gerhardt Bredo Simonsen, the vice president of CS, however,
insisted that while the Danish troops may have covered many
kilometers in Iraq, the timing for their hikes was more
important than the distance they had traveled.
?If one knowingly avoids the areas and the moments that are
dangerous, one doesn?t make any progress on a military
level,? he told Danish daily Jylland-Posten on Jan. 6.
ROMANIA OFFERS TO SUPPLY WEAPONS TO IRAQ
AFP, 5 Jan 04
Romania proposed Jan. 5 to supply the new Iraqi army with
weapons, the state secretary for Romania?s arms industry
said.
?We have submitted a proposal to equip the future Iraqi
army with artillery ammunition and Kalashnikov rifles at
competitive prices,? Decebal Ilina said, adding, ?a formal
offer will only be made when the United States opens the
bidding process.?
?Theoretically, we should stand a good chance of securing
such a contract, considering that we have contributed to
the international stabilization force in Iraq,? he said.
According to Ilina, Romania can supply military equipment
to Iraq ?according to demand and at low cost.?
?A market like Iraq, which is not necessarily seeking to
acquire top-of-the-line weaponry, is just what a producer
like Romania needs because we are faced with low demand.?
Romania supported the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and has 700
soldiers stationed in the country as part of the post-war
international stabilization force
BULGARIA GOVT TO PROPOSE PERMANENT APPOINTMENT OF
INTELLIGENCE SERVICE ACTING HEAD
Bulgarian News Digest, 6 Jan 04
The Bulgarian Government will propose that President Georgi
Parvanov appoints the acting head of Bulgaria's National
Intelligence Service, Col. Kircho Kirov as a permanent
holder of the post and promotes him to Brigade General,
Cabinet spokesman Dimitar Tsonev said.
The proposal will be made by Defence Minister Nikolai
Svinarov.
In December 2003 Kirov confirmed before the media that he
was not yet authorised to have access to NATO classified
information. According to experts, the lack of such
authorisation is not a reason for not appointing him
permanently as intelligence head since the procedure for
receiving access to such information might take up to three
months.
President Georgi Parvanov appointed Kirov on February 24,
2003 after he relieved from duty the previous intelligence
head Dimo Gyaurov. Kirov's appointment was said to be a
compromise between Parvanov and NATO, after the alliance
opposed the possible appointment of former collaborator of
the communist era State Security Service, Brigo Asparuhov.
However, Kirov turned out to be as controversial as
Asparuhov. In mid-June 2003 sources said that the
government considers Kirov's replacement because he failed
to improve the work at the service. In October 2003 German
politicians attacked Kirov after a scandal that a German
intelligence official has submitted confidential
information to an official at the Bulgarian Embassy, saying
that Bulgaria must stop spying on Germany and that Germany
does not trust Kirov since he used to work for the State
Security as well.
Kirov, however, has Parvanov's support because of their
affiliation with the Bulgarian Socialist Party, so Parvanov
is expected to approve the permanent appointment of Kirov
very soon.
TOP INTERNATIONAL OFFICIAL WARNS BOSNIA TO ADOPT REFORMS BY
JUNE
AP, 7 Jan 04
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) - Bosnia must accept
reforms by June if it wants to join a key NATO program and
become a part of the European Union, the country's top
international official said Wednesday.
"Bosnia faces a moment of truth," said Paddy Ashdown, the
diplomat who oversees Bosnia's peace process. "By the
middle of this year, you will either have confirmed your
European destiny or you will have slipped back into the
no-man's land on the edges of Europe."
Ashdown made the comments during a press conference laying
out plans for 2004.
At a summit in Turkey in June, NATO will decide whether or
not Bosnia can take part in its Partnership for Peace
program-- the first step to joining the alliance. The
European Commission is also set to review the country's
progress toward membership this summer.
Ashdown challenged local politicians to adopt democratic
reforms in Bosnia's justice system and its economy. He also
urged them to fight organized crime and make progress
toward ethnic integration.
Progress has been stalled by local politicians who refuse
to compromise on such key issues and are still divided
along ethnic lines.
After the country's 1992-95 war, Bosnia was divided into a
Muslim-Croat federation and a Serb republic. Both halves
have their own governments and parliaments, but are linked
with federal institutions.
The peace agreement established an international
administration to oversee the development of a multiethnic
society.
"If Bosnia fails to catch the European train now, it may
not get the chance for a long time to come," Ashdown said.
NEW NATO CHIEF TO VISIT TO BALKANS
AP, 7 Jan 04
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - New NATO Secretary General Jaap de
Hoop Scheffer will visit Bosnia and Kosovo next week on his
first official trip, the alliance announced Wednesday.
The former Dutch foreign minister, who started work Monday
in NATO's top job, is scheduled to meet alliance
peacekeeping troops in the Balkans Jan. 15-16.
He is also expected to travel to Afghanistan early this
year to visit NATO's peacekeeping mission there, an
operation which De Hoop Scheffer says is the alliance's top
priority.
De Hoop Scheffer will lunch Thursday with Belgian Prime
Minister Guy Verhofstadt in the first of a series of
meetings with leaders of the 19 NATO nations.
He is due to chair his first ministerial meeting when NATO
defense ministers meet Feb. 6 in Munich, Germany.
GREEK PREMIER SEEKS EARLY ELECTIONS
AP, 7 Jan 04
ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Premier Costas Simitis asked
Wednesday for early elections in March in a bit to boost
his sagging Socialist party and end political uncertainties
during the run-up to the Olympic Games.
Simitis made the request for March 7 parliamentary
elections after announcing he would step down as leader of
the party that has governed Greece for all but three years
since 1981.
He is expected to nominate his popular foreign minister,
George Papandreou, to replace him on Thursday during a
meeting of the party's central committee.
That would place Papandreou, 51, in line to become the
third member of his family to lead Greece if the Socialists
can pull off an upset victory over the conservative New
Democracy Party -- well ahead in opinion polls.
Under the Greek system, the leader of the winning party
automatically becomes premier. Simitis plans to remain in
the post until elections.
``A younger generation must take responsibility,'' Simitis,
67, said a nationally broadcast address. ``The time has
come for me to take the next step for the renewal of our
political life. The (new) leader has to represent this
renewal.''
Simitis took over the Socialist leadership in 1996 shortly
before the death of Andreas Papandreou, the party founder
and father of the foreign minister. The Socialists narrowly
won re-election in 2000.
The Socialists' current four-year term expires in May and
the party views Papandreou as its best hope to hang on to
power.
The election date announced by Simitis means that
parliament will be disbanded one month before -- stopping
all legislative activity -- to allow for campaigning.
Greece's president, who has a largely ceremonial role, is
expected to approve the election date.
Early elections could limit disruptions to the troubled
preparations for the Aug. 13-29 Olympics. The campaign
period in Greece often paralyzes activity in the government
-- which controls nearly all the main Olympic works.
The Socialists are burdened by accusations of corruption
and lack of vision in the European Union's poorest nation.
The U.S.-born Papandreou is the son of the late Andreas
Papandreou, who founded the Socialist party and served
three terms as premier. The foreign minister's grandfather,
George, also served as premier in the 1960s and is regarded
as one of Greece's most important statesmen.
``By changing and renewing we will be able to meet the
challenges of the future,'' Papandreou said as he left the
premier's office.
Papandreou has promised to breathe new life into the party.
Recent polls have shown the 51-year-old Papandreou to be
the most popular politician in Greece, but the Socialists
have for more than one year lagged behind the main
conservative opposition New Democracy party by about 10
percentage points.
Papandreou is credited with helping end decades of tensions
between Greece and Turkey and boosting Greece's profile as
a stabilizing force in the Balkans.
New Democracy's leader, 47-year-old Costas Caramanlis, is
another member of a Greek political dynasty. He is the
nephew of Constantine Caramanlis, who served as both prime
minister and president.
``It is a direct result of popular displeasure with the
government,'' Caramanlis said after Simitis' address.
Simitis' decision to step down as party leader and not run
for the post of premier was unprecedented in post-World War
II Greek politics. His own future is uncertain and some
Socialist officials have said he may seek to replace
European Commission President Romano Prodi, whose term
expires in October.
POLL: CLARK CLOSING IN ON DEAN AMONG DEMOCRATS NATIONALLY
AP, 7 Jan 04
WASHINGTON (AP) - Former NATO commander Wesley Clark has
closed the gap with former Vermont governor Howard Dean
among Democratic voters, says a poll taken at a time Dean
had been under intense criticism from rivals.
Dean had the support of 24 percent and Clark had the
backing of 20 percent in the CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll out
Wednesday. The poll of 465 Democrats and those who lean
Democratic had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus
5 percentage points, meaning Dean and Clark are essentially
tied for the lead nationally. The poll was taken January
2-5.
Dean held a 21-point lead over Clark in the poll less than
a month ago. In recent weeks, Dean rivals have increased
their criticism of his controversial statements, his record
as governor and his feisty temperament.
While the change in the poll suggests Clark is gaining
ground, the primary battle is being fought state by state.
First up is Iowa on Jan. 19, where Clark is not competing,
and then New Hampshire on Jan. 27, where polls indicate
Clark is battling John Kerry, a Massachusetts senator, for
second place.
In the Gallup poll, Kerry was at 11 percent and Connecticut
Sen. Joe Lieberman was at 10 percent. Other candidates were
in single digits.
In the poll, Bush led Dean by 22 points, 59 percent to 37
percent. That's about the same advantage Bush had over Dean
in mid-December in the poll.
NEW CANADIAN GOVERNMENT SETS DEFENSE, FOREIGN POLICY REVIEW
PRIME MINISTER FREEZES BUYS, PROMISES BUDGET BOOST
Defense News, 5 Jan 04, by David Pugliese
A review of defense and foreign affairs policy is going to
be a priority for Canada?s new prime minister in the coming
year, says David Pratt, the country?s recently appointed
defense minister.
Pratt said here that preparing the Canadian Forces for the
future will emphasize precision firepower and more rapid
sharing of information on the battlefield.
Liberal Party leader Paul Martin was named prime minister
on Dec. 12, after predecessor Jean Chretien retired. In
recent interviews with news organizations, Martin said he
wants to have closer ties with the United States, ensure
that Canada meets its commitments in helping defend North
America, and play a larger role on the world stage.
Pratt, who was named defense minister on Dec. 12, said he
sees the policy review as a key element in determining the
future roles of the Canadian military. He did not give
details on how long the review will take or what exactly it
will involve.
The last major review of defense policy was done a decade
ago and produced the Liberal government?s 1994 White Paper
on Defence.
International Relations
But Pratt said Dec. 14 that transforming the Canadian
military into a modernized force is critical if it is going
to be relevant on the international scene.
?I think Canada is going to be very much a part of that
[transformation] process, focusing in on information
superiority and precision firepower,? he said.
Asked if he supported the plan by his predecessor, John
McCallum, to eliminate tanks from the Canadian Army?s
inventory and replace them with the Stryker Mobile Gun
System, Pratt responded that he wants to be updated on the
Stryker proposal and the expected delivery times for the
vehicles.
?This is a transformational period for the Canadian Forces
but it?s the same sort of thing going on with U.S. forces
because they are acquiring the Mobile Gun System as well,?
he added.
Pratt, as chairman of the House of Commons Standing
Committee on Defence and Veterans Affairs, voiced his
support earlier this year for the Army?s plan to purchase
the mobile system.
Purchasing Freeze
A contract to purchase 66 of the Stryker gun systems was
expected to be signed in December 2004, but could be
delayed because the Martin government has frozen all
federal spending programs over 5 million Canadian dollars
($3.75 million) so it can review each purchase.
Martin?s government is looking at obtaining as much as 700
million Canadian dollars in savings from other government
programs so that money can be redirected to health care.
But Martin also told journalists at the Dec. 12 ceremony in
Ottawa naming him as prime minister that the defense budget
will eventually be increased. He did not say when.
Although the freeze affects all government programs,
Martin?s administration has already identified about 450
million Canadian dollars in savings that could be raised by
canceling several high-profile building projects, including
the construction of a new federal courthouse, a museum and
new Parliament buildings.
The government?s spending review is expected to last three
months, Canada?s chief of the Defence Staff, Gen. Ray
Henault, said in a telephone conference with journalists on
Dec. 24 from Kabul, Afghanistan.
But he said that contracts that directly support Canadian
operations are proceeding. ?I would anticipate little, if
any impact, on our deployed missions as a result of the
government?s decision on the freeze,? according to Henault.
Pratt said another priority for the Martin government will
determine whether Canada should join the U.S. in a missile
defense system for North America. He said he plans to meet
with Canada?s foreign affairs minister, Bill Graham, to
?get that file moving also? but did not say when a decision
would be made.
Martin has said in interviews in April and November that he
is in favor of having Canada join the U.S. missile defense
system.
Canadian analysts, such as those at the Ottawa-based
Conference of Defence Associations, see Martin as generally
supportive of the Canadian Forces. One of Martin?s first
decisions as prime minister was to have his government on
Dec. 17 release a request for proposals to industry for the
purchase of a fleet of new maritime helicopters.
That 3.1 billion Canadian dollar program was the only major
federal government project exempt from the spending review.
On Dec. 15 Martin visited National Defence headquarters in
Ottawa to voice his appreciation for the efforts of
Canadian military personnel, the first time a Canadian
prime minister has set foot in the building in almost a
decade.
Canadian military analyst Jim Hanson said in an interview
here that the defense review could potentially pave the way
for additional funding for the Canadian Forces. He noted
that Pratt also has been highly supportive of the military
in the past and pushed for budget increases while chairman
of the Commons defense committee.
?It will now be a question of how much does Paul Martin
want to hear about defense problems and how badly does he
want to spend to fix them?? said Hanson, a retired Canadian
Army brigadier general who is associate executive director
of the Canadian Institute of Strategic Studies.
MIXED REACTIONS GREET BUNDESWEHR BLUEPRINT FOR CHANGE
Defense News, 5 Jan 04, by Martin Agüera
Germany?s top military leaders say jointness is at the core
of their plan to revamp the Bundeswehr by 2010, but Army
critics call the proposal inefficient and insufficient.
This month, Defense Minister Peter Struck will receive the
final outline for the new force structure as well as a new
armaments and procurement concept from his chief of staff,
Army Gen. Wolfgang Schneiderhan. A final troop-basing plan
will follow by year?s end.
In recent weeks, Schneiderhan and his staff, the
Führungsstab der Streitkräfte in Bonn and Berlin, have been
filling gaps and polishing up Bundeswehr Structure 2010.
Defense News obtained two recent internal drafts, one dated
Dec. 5 and the other Dec. 16, which offered details of
planned changes.
In the latest paper, ?Core Elements of the Conception of
the Bundeswehr,? Schneiderhan said the military requires a
?process of transformation? to optimize the armed forces.
His goal, Schneiderhan wrote in the 16-page document, is to
synchronize missions, capabilities and equipment with the
available financial resources in a joint approach.
As of 2010, the Bundeswehr should comprise 250,000 soldiers
plus 75,000 civilian employees, down from the 290,000
soldiers and 115,000 civilian employees today.
A Balancing Act
Defense officials say that striking the much-needed balance
between money and missions will not be easy.
One senior defense official said in November that only
programs currently under contract, such as the Airbus A400M
airlifter and Eurofighter Typhoon, are covered by the
roughly 4 billion euro ($5 billion) annual procurement
budget.
Not included would be funding for programs such as the
Medium-Extended Air Defense System, the Euro Hawk unmanned
aerial vehicle and several other programs that are still on
the capabilities wish list.
Schneiderhan will conduct a hearing of procurement experts
in Bonn Jan. 8-9, and a Military Leadership Council meeting
Jan. 16 in Berlin before finalizing a blueprint for future
equipment purchases.
Most savings and streamlining in the new plan is to be
realized by cutting troop numbers, primarily within the
Army.
The Army, wrote Schneiderhan, will shrink from eight
divisions to three, while the Air Force will go from four
to three divisions, and the Navy will transform its six
flotillas into two ?operations flotillas? for the country?s
crisis-reaction-and-stabilization forces.
In all, the plan calls for the Bundeswehr to cancel
programs and pare down existing weaponry and military
structures to save 26 billion euros until 2017.
?Of this sum, the Army alone should save 15 billion euros,?
said a senior Army official. ?The planning foresees to cut
our current structure in half.?
Army Official Critical
?The way we see it is that Schneiderhan is planning not in
accordance with the Defense Policy Guidelines,? he said.
?Why? Because in the guidelines we wrote that our planning
will go alongside the most probable missions. Our most
probable missions are stabilization operations like the
International Security Assistance Force in Kabul, Balkan
operations, not high-intensity warfare.?
He said the Army was providing 70 percent of the personnel
for such stabilization missions.
?Then, I do not understand why the Army has to give in that
much, and is not accredited with the necessary investments
and materiel,? he said.
Germany, said the Army official, was buying 180
Eurofighters while the Army was likely only to get 410 new
infantry fighting vehicles or a maximum of 200 Multi-Role
Armored Vehicles. ?That ratio of Eurofighters to armored
vehicles, given the missions the services have to fulfill,
seems a little odd.?
Cutting existing structures is not a cure for inadequate
force strength, he said.
?The chief of staff has created force categories ? reaction
forces, stabilization forces and so on,? the Army official
said. ?These force categories have only emerged since we
don?t have the money to field an all-capable force.?
Schneiderhan distilled the Bundeswehr into reaction forces
of some 35,000 soldiers, stabilization forces of some
70,000 soldiers, and support forces of 212,500 soldiers.
Heinz Schulte, editor of the Griephan Briefe newsletter,
said Dec. 30 from Bonn that the Air Force will soon also
have to make sacrifices as well. After parliament approves
the second tranche of Eurofighters in mid-2005 year, the
Air Force structure will likely again receive
modifications.
Difficult Numbers Game
Reducing manpower will remain a sticky political issue,
said another analyst.
?The government is now at the very limit of what they can
do,? said Michael Forster, director of the Internet think
tank Geopowers, in Bonn. ?Struck wants to have 75,000
civilian employees in 2010, and they are releasing some
3,000 each year. But that is not enough to have 75,000 by
2010,? since most civil employees are waging a legal battle
to keep their jobs.
On the other hand, the Streitkräftebasis (SKB), Germany?s
forces support command of some 50,000 soldiers, is being
strengthened to coordinate and facilitate the new
joint-service approach. Most of the logistic and training
efforts for the three services are handled by the SKB.
?The SKB is de facto becoming the fourth service of the
Bundeswehr,? Schulte said.
BRITAIN?S NAVY SHRINKING TO SMALLER THAN FRANCE: REPORT
AFP, 6 Jan 04
Cuts in British defense spending are about to leave the
Royal Navy with fewer surface warships than its historic
enemy, France, for the first time in 400 years, the Daily
Telegraph reported Jan. 6.
Four destroyers will be mothballed within three months as
part of a series of cuts imposed by the ministry of
finance, the paper said.
This ?deeply demoralizing blow for the Navy? would reduce
the number of its escort ships to 28, compared with
France?s 32, and leave it unable ?to mount major operations
unless it is fighting alongside the Americans or the
French,? it said.
?What would Nelson have said?? the Telegraph?s editorialist
asked, referring to Admiral Horatio Nelson, who died a
national hero at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1815 after
annihilating the French fleet and confirming Britain?s
naval supremacy for the ensuing century.
The four destroyers are Type-42 ships armed with Sea Dart
missiles and play ?a vital role in escorting and protecting
the (aircraft) carriers and amphibious fleet,? the paper
said. It noted that Type-45 destroyers are not due to enter
service until 2007.
?The maximum number of destroyers and frigates the Navy
could keep at sea, at a time when the war on terror is
dramatically increasing its workload, is 23,? it said,
adding that keeping 26 such warships at sea was ?the
absolute minimum? necessary to carry out essential
peacetime duties.
The editorial asked why, if sea power was obsolete, the
United States put so much importance on it and why Japan
maintained a larger fleet than Britain merely for coastal
defense.
?In a dangerous, uncertain world, sea power remains an
indispensable method of projecting force, deterring
aggression and protecting sea lanes,? it concluded.
BELGIUM MAY PARE ITS ARMED FORCES
Defense News, 5 Jan 04, by Brooks Tigner
Belgium is expected to review in mid-January an 11-year
plan to shrink and modernize the country?s armed services,
government officials here said.
The draft plan ? jointly proposed in early December by
Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt and Defense Minister André
Flahaut ? calls for gradually but relentlessly paring down
the military to a high-tech force properly equipped for
rapid deployment to hot spots around the globe.
If executed as intended, it would transform a Cold
War-oriented military structure that has languished under
budget cuts and freezes since the fall of the Berlin Wall
in 1989.
The plan will be submitted to the national Cabinet in
mid-January, Defense Ministry spokesman Nick Van Haver said
Dec. 22. It would then go to the Belgian parliament for
final approval.
The first period of the two-part plan, covering 2004-2008,
is focused largely on transforming the Army into a better
paid, trained and equipped force that can lead the
country?s military on rapid deployments. After 2008, the
Army aims to be able to project 68 percent of its strength
abroad, vs. only 40 percent today.
From 2009 to 2015, the Army will phase out older equipment
and further pare personnel, and aims to save money through
off-the-shelf purchases and other new business models
installed during the initial period.
To kickstart the whole process, Verhofstadt declared there
will be ?a massive purchase of equipment? in the next few
years. But this will nnnnnnnnndemand wrenching changes to
Belgium?s defense spending and its military structure.
Verhofstadt?s government aims to keep a tight lid on the
national defense budget, allowing only a tiny prospect for
growth above inflation.
?It?s only 0.5 percent a year ? tentatively ? from 2005 to
2007,? Col. Franēois Florkin, budget officer with the
Defense Ministry, said Dec. 23. ?That?s not a lot of room
for maneuver, but it all depends on how well the plan is
implemented.?
Funding the Plan
About 87 percent of Belgium?s 2003 defense budget of 3.45
billion euros ($4.3 billion) went toward personnel and
operational costs (59 percent and 28 percent,
respectively), which left 13 percent for spending on
equipment and capabilities.
Flahaut wants to flip this by squeezing personnel costs to
50 percent and boosting the acquisition budget to 25
percent of each year?s total defense budget. This would see
acquisition outlays rise from an average of 5,700 euros per
soldier today, to 10,100 euros by 2008, to 15,100 euros by
2015.
This would be achieved in a number of ways. First, the size
of the armed forces will be steadily reduced from today?s
40,300 personnel to 35,000 by 2015. Second, more
maintenance and service functions will be outsourced.
Third, there will be greater reliance on off-the-shelf
equipment purchases and, when feasible, pooled purchasing
with other European nations. Finally, economies will be
imposed upon Belgium?s Air Force.
For example, the service will see its fleet of 90 F-16
fighters reduced to 60 by 2015, while its 11 C-130 Hercules
transporters will be replaced by seven Airbus A400M
aircraft. Modernization of the F-16s will continue,
however, as will the purchase of new self-protection
capabilities for the C-130s.
The Facts: Shopping List
Belgium?s procurement plans for the Army include:
* Advanced body protection and clothing for combat troops.
* A tactical information and communication system to link
individual soldiers to command posts and deployable
headquarters.
* Replacements for the Army?s 4x4 ?jeep?-type vehicles.
* Protection kits for armored personnel carriers and
trucks.
* Wheeled armored infantry vehicles and multipurpose
protected vehicles.
* Multirole advanced sensors for use on the ground on in
the air.
* Modernization of defenses against chemical, biological
and nuclear weapons.
* Short- and medium-range anti-tank missiles that can be
fired from fixed sites or combat vehicles.
* Very-short-range anti-aircraft systems that can be fired
from the ground or combat vehicles.
U.N. ENVOY TO AFGHANISTAN STEPS DOWN AFTER TWO YEARS
AP, 6 Jan 04
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The United Nations envoy to
Afghanistan has stepped down as promised following approval
of a new constitution hailed as a chance to cement a
fragile peace two years after the ouster of the Taliban
regime.
Lakhdar Brahimi was appointed to the two-year post in late
2001 and had planned to leave once Afghanistan's
constitutional grand council had finished its work, U.N.
spokesman Fred Eckhard said Monday.
The veteran Algerian diplomat oversaw U.N. operations in
Afghanistan through the U.S. war to oust the Taliban and
during efforts to rebuild the war-ravaged country.
He recently warned that the United Nations would have to
withdraw its staff if security doesn't improve, and he
demanded that international peacekeepers steered by NATO
play a larger role in the country.
On Monday, gunmen attacked the office of the United Nations
refugee agency in Kandahar, throwing a grenade and firing
shots but causing no injuries.
The United Nations pulled its foreign staff out of vast
areas of Afghanistan in October after a refugee worker was
killed. That followed a similar pullback from Iraq after an
August truck bomb killed 23 people at the U.N. headquarters
in Baghdad.
NATO now plans to expand patrols beyond Kabul.
Brahimi was expected to leave Afghanistan in a few days.
Jean Arnault, his deputy for political affairs, will fill
the post until a permanent replacement is found.
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