Category: Magazine

What is the navy actually doing in Geneva?

Our southern neighbours also have a German naval officer - on a mission for understanding and peace. This question may seem surprising at first glance, as Switzerland is rather inland (sea) orientated in maritime terms. Although the length of its shores on Lake Constance and Lake Geneva alone is greater than the coastline of some neighbouring countries, this has not yet given rise to any need for the Swiss to deploy a navy. When people in Switzerland talk about a navy, they are referring to the numerous excursion steamers, some of them historic, that sail the many lakes. So the German defence attaché in Bern...

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From lighthouse projects and coastal radar stations

Lebanon has been on the brink of collapse even before the catastrophic explosion in Beirut harbour. The German government's defence initiative is intended to help the country rebuild its lost capabilities. The cedar state on the Mediterranean really doesn't have it easy in the conflict between its neighbours Israel and Syria. A 15-year civil war (1975-90), mismanagement and corruption, several external invasions - most recently in 2006 - and then the devastating explosion in the harbour of the capital Beirut in August last year have all taken their toll on the Lebanese Republic. Bilateral and international aid is attempting to save the former Switzerland of the Middle East from collapse and at the same time maintain a certain degree of stability.

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Time to act

Under the patronage of Schleswig-Holstein's Minister President Daniel Günther, hundreds of experts came together in September to identify solutions to one of the greatest threats in the North and Baltic Seas. The seabed contains mineral resources and flora that make a significant contribution to the regeneration of the atmosphere. But for more than a century, it has also become a receptacle for the legacies of civilisation. During Kiel Munition Clearance Week, around 500 experts from politics, business, environmental protection, science and the navy, 150 of whom were on site, dealt with a special type of waste. It was about the more than 1.5 million tonnes of old ammunition that...

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Blind spot in the North Atlantic

After the end of the Cold War, the USA closed the radar stations installed on Greenland. Now Denmark has once again decided on an Arctic surveillance programme. After a two-year analysis and planning phase, the Danish parliament decided in February of this year to implement the programme for expanded surveillance of the Arctic air and sea space that had already been adopted in 2019. A tension-free Arctic is a top political priority for Danish policymakers, but the expansion of the Russian base chain along the Siberian coast is a cause for concern. This applies in particular to the Nagurskoye airbase on the Franz Josef Islands, as fighter bombers can use air refuelling to attack the American base at Thule from here.

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Is the journey the destination?

In Kiel, experts discussed the future of western navies Kiss, the Kiel International Seapower Symposium, focussed this year on the paths of an allied maritime strategy in the 21st century. After focussing on maritime strategic ends in 2018 and means in 2019. The conference is part of a series of symposia that evaluate NATO's Maritime Strategy, published in 2011. It also aims to provide impetus for future EU, NATO and national concepts in the maritime sector. Because in view of the latest geopolitical developments and the resurgence of competition between the major powers, some even believe that adjustments are...

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