Military

SACEUR-GERMANY

¨         Under the title, "NATO supreme commander disappointed with German defense budget, Die Welt writes that  SACEUR, Gen. Ralston, has for the first time openly criticized Germany's defense policy, mainly the lack of investments in modern equipment.  "While the defense budget is shrinking slowly, procurement is going down dramatically," Gen. Ralston reportedly told the newspaper, adding that "this is precisely what is happening in Germany."  According to the newspaper, Gen. Ralston praised the "absolute professionalism" of the German armed forces.  But, he added, "this is not of much use to me if they cannot go where I need them."  The newspaper considers that Gen. Ralston's remarks were aimed at the Bundeswehr's inability to rapidly airlift troops and heavy equipment to crisis areas.  It remarks that currently, the Bundeswehr has to charter civilian aircraft, for instance Antonov planes.  Noting that under a ruling coalition contract, the defense budget will be frozen at 24.2 billion annually until 2006, the newspaper further quotes Gen. Ralston saying:  The Germans "must be ready to take the consequences of their decisions." The newspaper recalls that already in the past Germany was warned within NATO circles that it would lose influence if its defense spending continued to range within the lowest among NATO members. The article is illustrated with a head-and-shoulders color photograph of Gen Ralston. It is introduced on the newspaper front-page under the title, "NATO general criticizes German defense policy."  

GERMANY-UNITED STATES-NATO

¨         According to AFP, the German Foreign Ministry Tuesday denied a report in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that Berlin had received from Washington a list of conditions to ease their strained relations.  The German daily claimed that the list centers on the position Germany would take on the Iraqi crisis at the Prague summit.  It said Washington was asking that Chancellor Schroeder not oppose any NATO support for the United States in an attack on Iraq, and that he not block use by U.S. forces of NATO military infrastructure during the operation.  It said the United States was also seeking German support for the U.S. plan for  a rapid reaction force as part of the U.S.-led international war on terrorism.  According to the article, Washington is also demanding that Berlin back Turkey's bid to join the EU.  The newspaper adds that independently from the "list" observers in Berlin believe that in the foreseeable future, Washington will demand that Germany step up its involvement in Balkans peacekeeping. 

NATO

¨         Under the title, "New NATO for New War," the Washington Times quotes NATO Secretary General Robertson saying in Washington Tuesday that NATO is preparing itself to fight terrorism on many fronts with new flexibility that will confound critics of the Alliance.  "At Prague, we will unveil a major enhancement in the Alliance's capacity to contribute to the war against terror," Lord Robertson reportedly said at the Brookings Institutions.  New measures, he said, include "concepts of operations" and collective planning.  They may not "appear glamorous," but they are essential, he added.  According to the newspaper, Lord Robertson predicted that the summit "will silence the siren voices who have repeatedly told us that the trans-Atlantic capabilities gap is too wide to bridge."   A related AFP dispatch quotes Lord Robertson saying NATO will take its cues on possible military action against Iraq from whatever resolution finally emerges from the UN Security Council.  "Once the UN sets the path to follow, NATO will then decide what its role will be," the dispatch quotes him saying and adding:  "What NATO does is going to critically depend on what happens at the UN, perhaps this week. I would expect that (Iraq) will be part of the discussions in Prague."

A commentary in the Financial Times calls on Europeans to keep NATO relevant to the United States by expressing their support at the Prague summit for U.S. plans for a NATO rapid response force.

Geographical expansion of NATO extends its regional security scope but does nothing to make it more relevant to the United States in its "wars" on terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, says the article, adding:   Keeping U.S. interest in NATO alive is vital to Europeans, because the Alliance is the one collective handle they have for influencing U.S.-decision making.  A significant way of redeeming NATO in U.S. eyes would be support in Prague for the U.S. plan for a "NATO response force" able to go into battle with U.S. forces. This need not conflict with the larger peacekeeping force planned by the EU. But it would show the U.S. that, while it needs new partners in diplomacy, allies still count when it comes to hard security.

¨         According to Reuters, Czech President Havel warned Wednesday that officials were inviting trouble at the Prague summit by focusing more on security than the historic content of the NATO meeting.  In an article published in the leading Czech daily Mlada Fronta Dnes, Havel reported stressed:  "Never before at a NATO summit have there been demonstrations. This time, there certainly will be as we drum them up.  Are we preparing for an important international summit or a war?.  What should people think when the context and sense of (the summit) are not explained, but instead the daily media bombard them with news of police, of cars and weapons they will have, of military readiness, or jet fighters that will fly above, of closed streets?" 

¨         The Financial Times quotes a U.S. diplomat saying Tuesday that President Bush may visit Russia next month after the Prague summit. The visit would reportedly be used partly to reassure Russia once again that enlarging NATO, by admitting countries in central and eastern Europe, was not a gesture directed against Russia. It would also be a chance for Bush to seek fuller cooperation with Russia in areas where the two countries still have differences, including policy toward Iraq, North Korea and Iran. 

FRANCE-DEFENSE

¨         According to Le Monde, the French armed forces staff and each of the three services plan to submit to President Chirac and the government a report on the lessons learned from the involvement of French forces in Afghanistan.  The newspaper notes that in the framework of Operation Enduring Freedom, French units were for the first time put under U.S. command.  The United States planned and directly led the operation.  The armed forces staff reportedly sees this new situation as "a major change."  The newspaper stresses, however, that the French have noted some "weak links" in their relations with the U.S. command, information, communication and identification systems,  as well as with data transmission equipment.  While French armed forces have progressively tried to make their command, control and communication equipment interoperable with that of their NATO allies, in Afghanistan, systems used by the United States in aerial operation centers are not similar to those NATO uses:  they are specific to the U.S. armed forces.  Furthermore, U.S. special forces are resorting to encrypted transmissions between aircraft and ground troops which are incompatible with NATO as well as French frequencies.  The newspaper recalls that as early as March 2002, the Americans and the British gave French forces the label of "Framework nation for special operations," which gives a nation the right to lead an operation by allied special forces.   The article adds:  In view of their experience in Afghanistan, the French armed forces now want special forces to be given more means in the field of air mobility-the Defense Ministry has just placed an order for a new generation of Cougar Mark II helicopters.   They also want "secure" long distance transmissions interoperability with the allies.

BALKANS

¨         According to Deutschlandfunk, the Bundestag Wednesday prolonged the Bundeswehr's mission in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia until mid-December.   The motion was reportedly adopted by a vast majority:  584 deputies voted for it, six against and six abstained.  The broadcast recalled that 220 German soldiers are taking part in the Amber Fox mission.  It reported that Defense Minister Struck called the mission a success.  He also insisted that the international community's commitment had contributed to internal reconciliation and the consolidation of democracy in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.