Category: Armed Forces

The last battleship of the Royal Navy

The last battleship of the Royal Navy

Posted by | 16 Oct 2022 | , , , | 0

Few ships symbolise a maritime turning point as strikingly as HMS VANGUARD, which came too late for the Second World War and was no longer really needed in the post-war period. The Royal Navy ended the First World War with a sizeable fleet of capital ships, but was now in need of a fundamental qualitative renewal in order to be able to defend its leading position against new naval powers such as the USA and Japan in the long term.Procurement plans for new battleships and battlecruisers existed at the beginning of the 1920s, but were cancelled out by scarce financial resources, the abolished German threat and, above all, the Washington Naval Agreement of 1922. This meant that the now...

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Outbreak from the Yellow Sea

Outbreak from the Yellow Sea

Posted by | 15 Oct 2022 | , , , | 0

South Korea is continuing to work on an ocean-going fleet that can also be used for missions far from home. Aircraft carriers are also on the wish list. Since the 1950s, the South Korean navy has focussed on fending off the immediate threat from North Korea. This is currently changing. Seoul is systematically modernising and expanding its fleet. The aim is to create a fully-fledged ocean-going fleet that can also deal with challenges outside its immediate territorial area. On the one hand, this development reflects Seoul's desire to enhance the country's international reputation. In terms of gross domestic product, South Korea now has the tenth strongest economy in the world and the fourth strongest in Asia. A supra-regionally committed security policy brings the...

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Emphasising secondary tasks

Emphasising secondary tasks

Posted by | 14 Oct 2022 | , , , | 0

The Bundeswehr has ended its participation in Operation Atalanta. What has been achieved, learnt and changed? At the end of 30 April, after around 14 years, German military participation in the European Union's first maritime operation came to an end: the European Union Naval Force Somalia Operation Atalanta. On the basis of a United Nations Security Council resolution and a decision by the Council of the European Union, the German Bundestag approved German military participation in Atalanta on 19 December 2008, and only three days later a warship, the frigate Karlsruhe, took part. The rapid increase in the number of pirate attacks in a very short space of time...

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Back to the roots

Back to the roots

Posted by | 11 Oct 2022 | , , , | 0

After numerous purely land-based operations, the British Royal Marines have been undergoing a far-reaching reform process for several years, which is intended to return the force to its maritime roots. "Per mare, per terram" - under this motto, Great Britain has maintained the Royal Marines since 1664 under the umbrella of the Royal Navy, a specialised infantry unit for amphibious operations, the protection of its own naval forces and maritime infrastructure on land, as well as boarding missions, evacuation operations and commando operations of all kinds. Although the Royal Marines have been involved in almost all of Britain's military operations since the Second World War, they are a relatively small, elite force with high standards, distinctive traditions and a strong sense of leadership....

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Old wine in new bottles: faster procurement?

Old wine in new bottles: faster procurement?

Posted by | 6 Oct 2022 | , , , , , | 1

In May 2022, it became known that the Ministry of Defence was working on a draft law to accelerate procurement measures of the German Armed Forces - "in short" the Bundeswehr Procurement Acceleration Act (BwBBG) - and, as the smooth name suggests, the law is intended to "apply facilitations under public procurement law to accelerate the awarding of public contracts", according to a formulation aid from the Federal Government. Observers of the scene quickly recognised that the demands formulated in the draft law essentially provide for the implementation of existing and long-known options - particularly with regard to the public procurement chamber and exemptions from the Competition Act. The Federal Association of the German Security and Defence Industry rightly asked why the "planned increased...

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