Category: Security policy

MS Burgenland: Murder on board

During the Second World War, atrocities that are barely comprehensible today also took place on a ship off the South American coast. The story of the MS Burgenland shows the brutality of the Nazi era. "Being attacked by several heavy units. My location is about 7° south 26° west. Must sink ship, classified information has been destroyed." - This was the last message from the blockade runner MS Burgenland, which was received by the naval command of the Kriegsmarine on the evening of 5 January 1944. What was meant by classified information was to be the subject of a court case against the former naval attaché in Tokyo and head of the Naval Special Service East Asia, retired Admiral Paul Wenneker, in the mid-1960s....

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New frigates for Her Majesty's Navy

In addition to a common language, a common history and a common head of state, there are also unifying elements between the United Kingdom and its former colonies Australia and Canada in the area of defence. In recent years, a large-scale frigate project has been added to this. The Global Combat Ship - which the British Royal Navy refers to as the Type 26 Frigate or City class - originated in 1998 as a replacement for the 14 Type 22 frigates and 16 Type 23 frigates from the 1970s and 1980s, both of which were focussed on submarine hunting. Several fundamental decisions in the "infamous"...

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Naval shipbuilding remains a key technology

The new maritime coordinator sees outstanding economic opportunities for Germany on the way to achieving climate neutrality. Common regulations for arms exports are to be developed at European level. On 5 January 2022, Claudia Müller (Greens) was appointed Federal Government Coordinator for Maritime Economy and Tourism. Her predecessor in office, Norbert Brackmann (CDU), had held this position since April 2018. She announced her programme priorities as soon as she was appointed: "We must focus on climate-neutral propulsion systems in Germany and, if possible, in Europe as well, and thus make Europe more sustainable as a shipyard location." The shipping industry is at a decisive turning point, at which the future of...

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Ready

For the first time, the US Navy handed over an aircraft carrier battle group to NATO. The alliance thus demonstrated its ability to react quickly and flexibly to challenges. In Germany, talk of naval power quickly conjures up images from the 19th and 20th centuries. Nowadays, however, the concept can no longer be limited to a large fleet and "strategic naval positions", i.e. favourably located bases overseas. What naval power actually means in the 21st century was demonstrated by NATO at the beginning of the year: the alliance carried out the Neptune Strike 2022 exercise for a fortnight. A total of 28 nations took part. The setting was the central Mediterranean...

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Global Britain in the distance

Budget problems and a lack of foresight thwart the Royal Navy's plans The British Parliament's Defence Committee fired a broadside against the British government in its report "We're going to need a bigger Navy" published on 14 December last year. The report raised significant concerns and doubts about the size and capabilities of the Royal Navy: Access marineforum digital+ Already a registered user? Log in here now - also MOV members: Username Password Remember meLost your password? Don't have access yet? Click here for the marineforum digital+ subscription: Access to all articles from the marineforum...

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