potentials for enhanced danish- german defence partnership

DIIS POLICY BRIEF DECEMBER 2015
New winds in German security policy
POTENTIALS FOR ENHANCED DANISHGERMAN DEFENCE PARTNERSHIP
Germany is moving towards a more active
foreign and defence policy and wishes to
engage its European neighbours in long-lasting
security and defence partnerships. The effects
of these efforts will depend on how those
neighbours, such as Denmark, react.
Under the third term of Chancellor Angela Merkel, the
German coalition government wants the country to
live up to its international responsibility. The first
indicators for this decision appeared in the 2013
Coalition Agreement between CDU (Christian Demo-
RECOMMENDATIONS
Denmark should:
■ Use the flux in German defence policies as an
opportunity to reevaluate the Danish-German
defence relationship in general.
■ Consider if the recent Danish increase in
personnel for Multinational Corps Northeast is
sufficient to match Danish ambitions for DanishGerman cooperation within this framework.
■ Explore avenues for cooperation, especially with
crats), CSU (Christian Socialists) and SPD (Social
the German navy, on issues such as training,
Democrats) and in particular in the speeches of
education and exercises. The Baltic Commanders
Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Federal
Conference could be a forum for such initiatives.
A deeper cooperation and further integration with
Denmark seems feasible and desirable from a
German perspective
Germany is unlikely to replace the US, the UK and France as Denmark’s chief strategic
partners in the foreseeable future, but cooperation on less high-profile tasks could very
well be possible.
President Joachim Gauck and Defence Minister
under Polish command and the Polish 34th Armoured
Ursula von der Leyen at the Munich Security Confer-
Cavalry Brigade, equipped with Leopard 2A5 tanks,
ence 2014. All three emphasized the need for a more
under German command. Similarly, the Royal Nether-
substantive engagement in foreign and security
lands Army’s 43 Mechanized Brigade and its 16
policy, where Germany cannot say ‘no’ on principle
Leopard 2A6 were recently integrated into the
when it comes to the use of military means.
Bundeswehr’s 1st Panzer Division, whereas the Dutch
11 Luchtmobiele Brigade, a rapid and light airmobile
The following months showed that these speeches
infantry unit, was integrated into the German Rapid
were more than rhetoric and lip service. Germany
Forces Division DSK.
acted proactively in providing the Kurdish Peshmerga
with weapons to support them in their fight against
Likewise, a deeper cooperation and further integration
ISIS and became a strong pillar in the implementation
with Denmark, a geographically and politically close
of NATO’s Readiness Action Plan. In parallel, von der
German ally, seems feasible and desirable from a
Leyen announced the publication of a new “White
German perspective. Both countries have a long
book on security policy and on the future of the
tradition of good cooperation in defence matters,
Bundeswehr” by summer 2016 as a reaction to the
share common interests and a common neighbor-
changed security environment.
hood. Armaments cooperation like the decade-long
purchase of Leopard 2 battle tanks by Denmark or the
Like many other European states, however, Germany
most recent successful conclusion of the joint sealift
must bridge the gap between meeting growing
project ARK bear witness to this. Thus, the ongoing
security threats in the immediate European neighbor-
restructuration of the Danish armed forces and the
hood and shrinking defence budgets. Von der Leyen
current financial and security challenges that both
tackled this challenge by proposing enhanced
countries are facing present a window of opportunity
multinational defence cooperation and by urging to
to develop these relations.
work for the joint development of sets of forces and
capabilities as well as for collective training and
For Denmark, two main paths are at the disposal for a
exercise.
deeper military and defence cooperation with
Germany: more substantial cooperation in the
First steps in this direction had been made with the
implementation of the Framework Nations Concept,
Netherlands and Poland, two nations which purchase
as well as a trendsetting cooperation within the
defence systems from Germany, in particular the
framework of the Baltic Commanders Conference.
Leopard battle tank. In 2014, Minister von der Leyen
and her Polish counterpart Tomasz Siemoniak signed
Intensifying cooperation within the FNC
a document which determined the mutual subordina-
The so-called Framework Nations Concept (FNC) is a
tion of armored battalions. This cooperation was
concept proposed in June 2013 by then German
launched in July 2015 and it should gradually be
Defence Minister Thomas de Maizière at the NATO
implemented within the next five years. It will place
Defence Ministers Meeting and was officially en-
the German 411th Armoured Grenadiers battalion
dorsed at the Wales Summit in September 2014.
Instead of fulfilling capability goals, the FNC aims at
choice for NATO to address, and adapt to, present and
generating capability profiles, thus representing a
future threats swifter. It is, therefore, closely connect-
transition from a targeted approach to a more holistic
ed with NATO’s Readiness Action Plan and is an
one. In contrast to initiatives like Smart Defence,
integral part of NATO’s strategic adaptation.
which restricts cooperation to a middle term and ad
hoc basis, the FNC pushes nations to structure and
At the Wales Summit three groups of allies, each
focus their cooperation on the long term around a
group led by a framework nation, implemented the
framework nation. This nation should ideally possess
FNC. While a first group of seven nations, including
a broad spectrum of capabilities to be able to act as a
Denmark and led by Great-Britain, agreed to establish
facilitator for this group of states.
the Joint Expeditionary Force, a second group of six
nations, with Italy as a framework nation, wished to
However, similar to Smart Defence, the FNC aims at
improve NATOs stabilization and reconstruction
raising the interoperability and is rooted in the NATO
capabilities. Finally, Germany positioned itself as a
Defence Planing Process (NDPP) for the generation of
framework nation as well in order to improve and
these profiles. In this manner it contributes to the
expand capabilities within the scope of logistics,
realization of NATO’s level of ambition – understood
command, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance
as the number, scale and nature of operations the
and anti-missile defence. In total, 16 nations, including
Alliance should be able to conduct in the future.
Denmark, joined the German led FNC group and first
Especially in the perspective of potential future
concrete projects were decided: While Poland works
common deployments, it makes sense to procure
under German guidance on an anti-missile defence
military capabilities jointly and to adjust capability
system, Denmark has improved NATO’s command
profiles. Due to its flexibility, the FNC is a tool of
structures by raising, together with Poland and
Danish soldiers during an exercise in the large Grafenwöhr exercise area in Southern Germany © Danish Defence/Morten Fredslund
DIIS POLICY BRIEF DECEMBER 2015
Germany, the readiness of the Multinational Corps
with Denmark. Furthermore, Germany has a strong
Northeast (MNC NE). For Germany, the FNC is a tool
wish to institutionalize the BCC and hopes for the
of choice to cooperate with as many states as
emergence of a multinational Maritime Operations
possible and to develop capabilities for future military
Command based in Rostock.
engagements.
Danish initiative is needed
The Baltic Commanders Conference
Denmark is appreciated as a reliable and good partner
A further forum for deepening the defence coopera-
by Germany and presents a high degree of interopera-
tion between Denmark and Germany could be the
bility. Nevertheless, Germany perceives France, the
Baltic Commanders Conference (BCC), an initiative of
United States and the United Kingdom as Denmark’s
German Vice Admiral Rainer Brinkmann, bringing
primary strategic partners. Indicators for this are its
together the Naval Commanders of the neighboring
intensive cooperation with these countries in Afghani-
states of the Baltic Sea (Denmark, Estonia, Finland,
stan and the reliance on defence procurements from
Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland and
the United States. Particularly the recent creation of
Sweden). The BCC intentionally excludes Russia since
the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) with an
the conference was especially created to address the
important Danish participation was interpreted as a
security concerns of the Baltics. With Russia’s
landmark decision, especially in comparison to the
growing military activity near and even through their
increase of Danish troops at the MNC NE, which
airspace and territorial waters, Lithuania, Latvia and
Germany considered too marginal to signal real
Estonia no longer consider the Baltic Sea as a “sea of
commitment.
peace”. Once again, deterrence and credible capabilities seem to be a necessity. To this end, the BCC aims
Germany is unlikely to replace the US, the UK and
at mitigating the effects of defence budget cuts
France as Denmark’s chief strategic partners in the
through a better defence coordination among the
foreseeable future, but cooperation on less high-pro-
different participating states and their Navies.
file tasks could very well be possible. However, if
Denmark wishes to mitigate the German impression
On their first meeting in May 2015, the Naval Com-
of Danish disinterest and wishes to cooperate more
manders set up five working groups, which will
intensively with Germany, Denmark should make the
present their results in March 2016 at the second
first step and propose concrete initiatives. The BCC,
meeting of the BCC. With the increasing importance
as well as the 2014 established Senior military expert
of the Baltic area, the BCC could foster the sharing of
talks, an official forum between the Danish and
training facilities and the maritime cooperation
German Ministries of Defence which takes place once
between Germany and Denmark, two seafaring
a year at the director-general level, could be two fora
nations that navigate the same waters and which
to discuss new initiatives. The intended visit of
traditionally cooperated closely with each other during
Defence Minister von der Leyen to Denmark at the
the Cold War as well as the 1990s. Especially in the
beginning of 2016 would be the ideal moment to
absence of a shared threat perception amongst the
present and concretize such initiatives.
participant states, education as well as training and
exercise will most likely present the fields of coopera-
This Policy Brief builds on interviews conducted with
tion with the best chances of success and in which
various German experts and employees in the
Germany has the greatest interests for cooperation
German defence establishment.
Jéronimo Barbin, Research Associate, Institut für Europäische Politik & Mikkel Runge Olesen, postdoc, DIIS ([email protected])
Cover photo: German chancellor Angela Merkel shakes hands with soldiers in Leer, northern Germany, 7 December © AP Photo/Martin Meissner
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