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Germany: Army restructuring for rapid military interventions

01 January 2001

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On 29 January, Germany's defense minister Rudolf Sharping announced the closure of 59 garrisons and a substantial reduction in numbers of soldiers in 40 different towns and municipalities. Under far?reaching plans to restructure the German army, approved by the Upper House of parliament last June, around 55,000 positions are to be cut by 2006. The plans to "modernise" Germany's army represent its new position within NATO and the planned European Rapid Reaction Force after years of legal obstacles to the deployment of German troops abroad. The new armed forces are to have a personal capacity of 285,000 men and (since the recent European Court of Justice decision) also women, 150,000 of whom will be specially trained for "rapid reaction" military operations in "international trouble spots". Businesses have not surprisingly expressed dismay about the announced proposals, as the garrisons have formed an important income for regional economies.

Jungle World 7.2.01; International Herald Tribune 30.01.01.

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