The inspector regularly draws up this policy document, but the directive for 2021 is characterised by unusual circumstances. "The side effects and consequences of the COVID-19Coronavirus "The pandemic has permanently shaken much of what was considered safe and plannable at the beginning of last year," says Krause. The Bundeswehr, and therefore the navy, will foreseeably also be affected by the consequences - while the scope and intensity of the challenges facing the armed forces will increase at the same time.
Significance of the conceptual framework of the Bundeswehr for the Navy
Defence Minister Annegret Kamp-Karrenbauer recently explained these challenges in November in a keynote speech on security policy at the Bundeswehr University in Hamburg. Essential guidelines for the Navy were derived from this speech, the brochure "Mission of National and Alliance Defence" by the Inspector General and the guidelines on the Indo-Pacific by the Federal Foreign Office, combined with the current White Paper on Security Policy and the Future of the Bundeswehr.
"Knowledge of the relevant content is a basic prerequisite for understanding the situation and the targeted organisation of the navy of today and tomorrow," says the naval inspector. He himself deduces that, as in previous years, the navy will be stretched to the limit in 2021. The diverse deployments and mission-equivalent obligations as well as missions, exercises and other numerous tasks will also have to be managed in the future without reserves with the smallest fleet to date.
Looking to the future until the new elections and frigate class 127
In the rest of the annual statement, Krause addresses the topics of equipment and maintenance, organisational adjustments, personnel and recruitment as well as the mindset of the troops and, in particular, the "We are Navy" project. His focus for 2021 and beyond is on
- Strengthening national and alliance defence capabilities, in particular regaining operational command and control and the ability to conduct multidimensional naval warfare with a focus on anti-submarine warfare
- Providing ready and capable forces for international crisis management
- Strengthening the role of the German Navy in the Alliance through targeted further development of the new DEU MARFOR task force and assuming a coordination function for the navies in the Baltic Sea region
- Improving the availability of existing units and accelerating the influx of new units, in particular through personnel support for the Equipment Office BAAINBwFederal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support and its naval arsenal
- Expansion of technical management and communication tools at all levels
- Integrate an efficient and appropriately equipped reserve to ensure the operational capability of the navy
- Strengthening the military community and identification with the Navy in the spirit of the "We are Navy" project
The inspector is looking ahead to the Class 127 frigates, the next generation of combat ships after the MKS180, especially when it comes to the influx of new large-scale equipment. When it comes to maintenance, it is important to ensure that the progress achieved so far in terms of optimisation is not consumed by complex legal and commercial safeguarding processes.
"2021 will be a year of upheaval, especially for the navy," writes Krause. A new Bundestag will be elected in autumn. It remains to be seen how the future majority in the newly elected Bundestag and a new coalition agreement will affect the shape of Germany's security and defence policy. "For the time being, it is important for us to press ahead with the projects that are already underway as well as those that are planned and to bring them to a successful conclusion," the inspector warned the naval personnel. "Continue to think and act - regardless of your position and function - in the interests of the cause."
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