More efficient war

German Foreign Policy (Link) (September 1, 2010) Translated by Google Translate

On Wednesday, this year�s Anti-War represents the Berlin Defence, together with three of his colleagues a joint military command in air transport service. The decline, �European Air Transport Command (EATC), has its origins in a German-French initiative from 1999, to the future combat missions of the Bundeswehr and other European countries more efficient and cheaper.

In addition, it combines good first 200 military aircraft from Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands under the command of a central Eindhoven. First Commander is a major general in the German Luftwaffe. The EATC in perspective is to coordinate the war policy of the EU states close, and make further steps towards an EU army possible. The merger of the national military forces currently uses primarily the state, which has considerable political influence in the EU�s largest - Germany. In addition, explain the military, they wanted to expand with the help of the EATC and the European influence within NATO. Thus, the project is against the dominance of a world political rivals of Berlin, the United States.

On Wednesday, in the Federal Republic in memory of the German invasion of Poland will be celebrated on 1 September 1939 as the Anti-War, the German defense minister shall, jointly with his counterparts from France, Belgium and the Netherlands the European Air Transport Command (EATC) in service. The command center in Eindhoven, the Netherlands given the operational responsibility for some 200 military aircraft from the four participating countries, including about the C-160 Transall the Bundeswehr. Around 160 soldiers, including 65 German, are in the future they plan to use the available transport aircraft and carry and thus support the global operations of the core European countries. The first stage of the real availability is achieved according to the statement of the German Defense Ministry later this year. [1]

Save costs

EATC aim of the project is to design the future combat missions of the European countries more efficient and cheaper. In practice, the individual countries report their �needs� at Eindhoven, where is the �demand� from the available �pool� covered by transport aircraft. This allows for one to avoid Paralleleins�tze and thus save costs, each participating country is also possible to access the best in each case appropriate device. This allows the procurement costs are reduced, inasmuch as not every army must be prepared themselves for all eventualities. Also, it is possible to use previously uninvolved countries to finance the military air transport. How to buy Luxembourg, which does not have its own air force, for 180 million Euros a model A400M military transport, while the country is mentioned as a candidate for the EATC. Perspective is that the expensive Luxembourg A400M via Eindhoven and the Bundeswehr available. Not least for this reason, the participation is at the EATC declared open to all EU countries [2].

Dominance of large states

The project EATC goes back to a German-French initiative from 1999. On 30 November 1999 awarded Berlin and Paris considering the creation of a European air transport command by a joint statement by the respective Heads of State or Government of considerable weight. Over several intermediate stages (2001: �European Airlift Co-ordination Cell, EACC, 2004:� European Airlift Centre, EAC) came there in May 2007 to the signing of a joint approach, which opens this Wednesday in the commissioning of the EATC. That the EATC as German-French project began, is anything but a coincidence. Finally, give the participating states resolve their national air transport command, so that various functions of sovereignty, so does the Bundeswehr their previous air transport command in Munster. This restricts in particular the smaller countries involved: Your future military transport are under an institution in which ultimately dominate the large EU countries. In fact comes as the first Commander of the EATC, Major General Jochen Both, from Germany [3].

Power struggles

Politically, the aim of the commissioning of the EATC also significantly higher than simple savings mechanisms. It will strengthen the military cooperation of the - at first - core European powers, and therefore helps to focus the European military policy. Thus it weakens both the national scope of the participating countries and opened the largest member, Germany, not only the chance to de facto make the military assets of smaller EU states force serves, but also the possibility that conflicts with his fiercest rival, France to force the concrete formulation of the EU-war measures. The EATC should be �effective in shaping and strengthening the European Security and Defence Policy� contribute [4], was read in 2001 according to the analysis of a referent in the Air Staff on EATC. The EATC acts in this respect similar to the EU Battle Groups and the European Defence Agency.

NATO war

Furthermore, the EATC strengthen the European war capacity in comparison with the U.S. operation opportunities. More powerful European forces at the same time improving the opportunities to expand their own influence within NATO with Washington, according to the aforementioned analysis from the Joint Staff of the Air Force: It would be strengthened in this way, �the European pillar within the Alliance.� [5] This is directed the project against the dominance of a world political rivals of Berlin, the United States without the cooperation in the military to provide still unrivaled worldwide military alliance into question. Also future NATO wars therefore benefit from the EATC, which the Defense Minister is now in service, while activists demonstrate on the occasion in many cities of the Anti-War against the German war policy.

[1] Opening of the European air transport command in Eindhoven; www.bmvg.de 08/31/2010
[2] starting shot for the European air transport command; www.luftwaffe.de 02/25/2010
[3] personnel changes in top military and civilian agencies; www.bmvg.de 07/16/2010
[4], [5] J�rg Lebert: creation of a European air transport command; European Security 7 / 2001

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