[A-List] Germany: rearmament

["Michael Keaney" <michael.keaney@xxxxxx>]

As forecast for some time by Mark Jones, and thoroughly logical given the
predicament of the EU following Bush's assumption of power.

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Schröder says military spending may rise

By Karl Feldmeyer
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Weekly, March 28 2003

Germany's growing responsibilities within Europe require new military
capacities, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder said on Thursday. As a first step,
the reform of the Bundeswehr armed forces, which is scheduled for 2006,
would have to be tackled.

"Once the reform has been completed and it turns out that further measures
are necessary, we will have to talk about it," Schröder said.

Christian Schmidt, spokesman of the opposition CDU/CSU's parliamentary
defense group, said Schröder's words marked a change of course on part of
the government and demanded that they be followed by concrete figures.

Angelika Beer, co-chair of the Green Party, the junior coalition partner of
Schröder's Social Democratic Party, criticized a possible increase in the
military budget at a time when government plans social cutbacks.

According to Defense Minister Peter Struck, the federal defense budget will
remain roughly unchanged at about EUR24.4 billion ($26 billion) until 2006.

This Friday, armed forces inspectors will meet with Inspector General
Wolfgang Schneiderhan to present their cost-cutting proposals.

Struck has decided to take an additional 80 to 90 Tornado aircraft out of
service until 2005, and several military bases will also have to be closed.
Combat troops will be reduced by about 10,000 soldiers to free staff for
other functions such as ABC specialists, signalers and pioneers. The
inspector general will submit a proposal to the defense minister by April
15.