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German military to undergo biggest restructuring since 1945

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Berlin, Oct 26, IRNA
Germany-Military-Security
Germany's military will undergo its biggest shake-up since the end of World War II, transforming the Bundeswehr into a global intervention force under a new strategy paper titled `The White Book on German Security Policy and the Future of the Bundeswehr' which was appproved by the cabinet on Wednesday.

German deputy government spokesman Thomas Steg told the press in Berlin that the 130-page White Book is the most comprehensive national security review of German's military apparatus in the past 12 years.

The document stressed that trans-atlantic ties was still "the cornerstone of Germany's and Europe's common security."

It added that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) "remained the strongest anchor of Germany's defense and security policy."

The White Book highlighted also the role of the European Union as "a recognized player in crisis management."
The Bundeswehr has currently around 255,000 troops of which 55,000 are conscripts.

Germany has about 10,000 soldiers serving on missions in Afghanistan, Lebanon, the Balkans and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

A major focus of the German strategy paper is international terrorism, which is regarded as a "central challenge and threat to freedom and security."
OT/2321/1414