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Part II.

Furthermore, the Bundeswehr often also has a problem in terms of operational awareness. In the run-up to the presidential election on Aug. 20, reports emerged about a "key deficiency" in Afghanistan. Military commanders were complaining that they had no "comprehensive view of the situation…particularly when it came to the identities, locations and intentions of opposing forces operating in a concealed manner," -- i.e. the Taliban.

Likewise, commanders did not have enough armored Fennek reconnaissance vehicles to send out on patrol. After a number of these vehicles were lost to enemy fire, the budget committee of the Bundestag, the lower house of Germany's federal parliament, recently agreed to order some new ones: 10 units, €39 million, to be delivered in 2011.

Interpreters who can speak local dialects are in short supply here, as are secure telecommunications devices. It's often the case that soldiers are forced to communicate using mobile telephones, which are far from secure. And since the German computer network doesn't have the correct level of encryption, soldiers aren't allowed to forward information classified as "secret" from ISAF's main headquarters -- even when lives are on the line.

'Not Sufficient for Timely Operational Support'

The Luna reconnaissance drones, which transmit images in real time, won't function in summer temperatures that usually reach 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). "Attempts to cool down the aircraft using air-conditioning units before flights have not been successful," the soldiers report.

When commanders order photos from the Luftwaffe's Tornado reconnaissance jets, they are delivered "in excellent quality" -- but only after three days. "That is not at all sufficient for timely operational support," reports say.

And the weapons the Germans have at their disposal are not particularly well-suited to their mission. If a soldier is wearing his flak jacket, which he is obliged to do, he can't really aim his standard G36 automatic rifle. "Targeted shooting is either not at all possible or is restricted," according to reports.

The machine guns on top of "Dingo" armored vehicles can only be used to shoot "in the direction in which the vehicle is driving" -- and only long as the soldier operating it is strapped into the seat, which he is obliged to do under the rules governing the peacekeeping operation in Afghanistan. As a result, it's impossible to engage enemies attacking "Dingos" from the side or from behind. "Weaponry that should, in principle, be useful is actually purely for show and can give the soldiers a false sense of security," one report says.

Reducing Risks

In his attempts to deal with these deficiencies, the longest-serving officer in Kabul, who is responsible for the security of all visitors coming from Germany, has come to a bizarre conclusion. As he puts it, the best protection one can have in the Afghan capital is "to not be noticed at all." Instead of chauffeuring high-ranking guests around in camouflaged SUVs, he believes that the army should obtain some "civilian vehicles with analog security systems." As he sees it, this would allow people to remain as inconspicuous as possible and "thereby reduce the risk inherent in the situation."

These measures, however, only apply to VIPs, such as the defence minister. But that doesn't change the risks that soldiers face on a daily basis.

It wasn't that long ago that Defense Minister Jung was heaping praise on the Bundeswehr. But not everyone is so satisfied with the status quo. "The long-known problems with equipment and training have not been remedied but merely put off to one side," says expert Elke Hoff, a defense expert for the business-friendly Free Democratic Party (FDP), in criticizing Jung. The German parliament's military commissioner, Reinhold Robbe, has called for "urgent improvements" in the protection available to soldiers.

This urgency could soon become more acute as the US is putting immense pressure on Berlin to extend its military mandate in Afghanistan. US President Barack Obama is sending an additional 20,000 troops to the country. The current parliamentary mandate for Germany's participation in the ISAF mission runs out on Dec. 13. Last year, Jung would have liked to increase the number of troops from 3,500 to 6,000. However, the fact that the Christian Social Union (CSU), his CDU's Bavarian sister party, was facing a state election in Bavaria caused him to reduce this figure to 4,500.

The Americans haven't forgotten this, and US diplomats have already told leading CDU politicians that -- out of consideration for Angela Merkel -- Obama is only holding his breath until after Germany's Sept. 27 election. Once the election is over, the president will be demanding that the Germans send more combat troops to the front.



URL:http://www.spiegel.de/international/...646085,00.html