German government advisors are pleading for using submarines in the war on piracy at the Horn of Africa. Thanks to their "highly modern sensor technology," German submarines are not only capable of "covertly observing the pirates' vessels" and following their course, but also of "observing the pirates' potential bases both day and night," according to a statement just published by the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP). The bases could therefore be attacked with greater precision, as the EU decided Friday - in spite of warnings that this could lead to a further escalation of the conflict in Somalia. Geostrategic considerations are at the core of the militarization projects, being promoted by the Bundeswehr. The Indian Ocean has become extremely important in global policy and it will play a pivotal role in future conflicts with China. Under no circumstances should the "new momentum in the greater region of the Indian Ocean" be neglected, warns the director of the SWP. Military strategists are underlining the importance of a strong naval presence in the ocean between Africa and Southeast Asia.
In Violation of International Law
The appeal of the German Institute for International
and Security Affairs (SWP) for new militarization projects corresponds
to the decision taken by the EU's foreign ministers last Friday, to
combat piracy also on shore in the future. According to this decision,
not the pirates themselves, but their weapons, vessels, fuel and even
food supplies should be attacked and destroyed. This should be permitted
"on shore," but the military seeks to avoid clarifying, what exactly is
meant by "shore," and what is being targeted. The Federal Cabinet plans
to endorse these new regulations on Wednesday and the endorsement by
the German Bundestag should follow as soon as possible. Experts had
explicitly warned against the extension of the mandate, fearing an
uncontrollable escalation of the conflict. (german-foreign-policy.com
reported.) Even parliamentarians of the opposition, who, in
principle, support the war on piracy, point to the illegality of on
shore military attacks on pirates. Reinhard Buetikofer (Green Party)
reminds that pirates are "criminals and not enemy combatants." To
"attack them on land, without them posing a direct danger, is simply in
violation of international law."
Combat Unit "Berlin"
These regulations are of particular importance to
Germany, not only because of the endorsement by Berlin's foreign
minister, but also because of the prominent role the Bundeswehr is
currently playing in the EU Operation Atalanta. The Bundeswehr had just
dispatched its combat unit logistical support vessel "Berlin" to the
Horn of Africa - "not as a logistical support vessel, but as a combat
unit," the German Armed Forces underlined. The "Berlin" is therefore
carrying more personnel than usual - military police and a so-called
boarding team, but also two "Sea King" helicopters. These helicopters
are equipped with machine-guns, to be used against alleged piracy
infrastructures, in line with the EU's decision. "Particularly the
Bundeswehr, at this point" can launch these attacks, writes the press,
"because it has the appropriate helicopters in the theater of
operations."
Very Experienced in Surveillance
SWP is now proposing another militarization project
for the Horn of Africa and calls on the German government to dispatch
German submarines to the Somali coast. The crews of the submarines are
"familiar with deployment in shallow waters and reconnaissance
missions." Thanks to their "highly modern sensor technology," the
submarines are not only capable of "keeping potential pirate bases under
surveillance day and night with great perseverance (...) and rapidly
signaling the surveillance results." They are also capable of localizing
pirate vessels and following their course. Other warships, or their
board helicopters, could open fire, if Berlin still seeks to avoid the
deployment of special forces. The current official EU position does
not permit ground troops to engage the pirates on shore. The SWP author,
who, during his career in the Navy had served as a submarine commander
as well as a fleet command operations officer, points out that
submarines, unlike helicopters and reconnaissance aircraft, can operate
"undercover" - they are undetectable by the pirates. The German Navy has
extensive experience. "For years it has been participating in NATO's
undercover surveillance operations in the Mediterranean."
Geostrategic Competition
These militarization plans are certainly not a
reaction merely to considerations of how to combat more effectively
piracy off the coast of Somalia, but to geostrategic considerations as
well. For example, last year Volker Perthes, Director of SWP, pointed
out that the "interests" behind the countries' sending their naval
vessels to the Horn of Africa are not "limited to the war on piracy."
Perthes explains that, over the past few years, the importance of the
Indian Ocean, where piracy is being fought in its western sector, has
enormously grown. "One third of the world's maritime trade" crosses this
route, with the trend rising rapidly. Particularly East Asian
countries, especially China, are making large infrastructure investments
in the bordering countries - port facilities or transportation means -,
which are "also elements of the geostrategic competition." It is, after
all, "it goes without saying" that China and even India have "an
interest in protecting their maritime links." Even though the United
States "will remain the strongest maritime power in the Indian Ocean,
for the foreseeable future," it will soon "no longer be the sole
maritime power." Perthes warns that "the new momentum in the greater
region of the Indian Ocean" should not be neglected and one must also be
involved.
The Decisive Maritime Region
Parting from this premise, military experts are
emphasizing the need for the strongest possible naval presence in the
Indian Ocean. "With the growing geostrategic significance of the Indian
Ocean region, the influence also grows for those, participating in the
political military architecture of the region," according to a military
policy analysis published last year in a renowned Austrian military
review. "A gigantic power struggle is currently taking place in the
Indian Ocean," a high-ranking Swiss officer is quoted saying. "The
navies of China, Japan, India, the USA, the Europeans, the NATO, and the
EU are taking up positions, ports are being built, and naval forces are
being equipped." The officer sees world historical upheavals. "For the
first time since the 16th Century," he writes, "we are seeing the
downfall of a western maritime power in this decisive maritime
region."The military activities in the Indian Ocean, even at the
Horn of Africa, will determine who, in the future, will predominate over
an ocean, characterized by the former director of the German Combined
Chief of Staff in the Defense Ministry, ret. Vice Admiral Ulrich Weisser
as the "decisive region for the seas of the world" and characterized it
as "decisive for the future power structure in Asia."
(german-foreign-policy.com reported. This is the context, to be
considered, if one wants to take up the proposal to station German
submarines in the western sector of the Indian Ocean.
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