Indo-Pacific Deployment 2024 (IPD) of the German Navy

In a 15-minute interview with Flotilla Admiral Axel Schulz, the head of Operational Flotilla 2 explains the German Navy's major project for the year 2024. It took place in the YouTube format "Nachgefragt" on bundeswehr.de, the Bundeswehr's network portal, and was released on 22 March 2024 under the title "Military cooperation must also be cultivated on the ground". We repeat the summary here and link to the video of the interview.

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The Indo-Pacific is the most dynamic economic region in the world - and is therefore also gaining in geostrategic importance. China and the USA are competing for influence, with China also using threatening military means. The German Navy is now deploying warships to the Indo-Pacific for the second time. Flotilla Admiral Axel Schulz explains the reasons.

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The naval officer is commander of the Operational flotilla 2 of the German Armed Forces from Wilhelmshaven. "In my fleet, I have the frigates, the task force supply vessels and large fleet tankers as well as deep-sea tugs and harbour tugs.r," says Schulz. "I have a total of 4,500 highly motivated men and women working for me."

Some of these soldiers will be setting off on a long journey from May: As part of the IndoPacific Deployment become a Frigate and a Task force provider to the Indo-Pacific for seven months. Germany wants to emphasise its interest in developments in the region and show its solidarity with value partners such as Japan and Singapore.

The navy had already been on the same mission in the Indo-Pacific in 2021. "The frigate 'Bayern' did an excellent job back then," says Flotilla Admiral Schulz to the "Nachgefragt" presenter, Captain Beate Schöne. They worked together with partners in the region and carried out harbour visits. "Military collaborations are like friendships: they have to be cultivated directly on site from time to time," says Schulz.

In favour of free maritime trade

According to the flotilla admiral, the navy also wants to promote free commercial shipping and the peaceful settlement of conflicts in accordance with the international rules of the law of the sea. "The Indo-Pacific is a highly dynamic economic region and stretches from the west coast of North America to the east coast of Asia and the east coast of Africa," says Schulz.

Smartphones come from South Korea, televisions from Japan and microchips from South-East Asia, says the naval officer. "If trade routes are disrupted there, then ultimately have an impact on Europe and Germany." The accident involving the freighter "Ever Given" in the Suez Canal in 2021 and the coronavirus pandemic have shown how sensitive maritime trade routes are.

The unit will first travel across the North Atlantic to the east coast of North America, where exercises will take place with the USA and Canada, according to Schulz. "We will then certainly create a unique experience for the crew members, because we will move through the Panama Canal into the East Pacific and take part in a major US exercise in the island area around Hawaii."

Major manoeuvre off Hawaii

This exercise called RIMPAC (Rim of the Pacific, Pacific Rim) is one of the largest naval manoeuvres in the world, according to the flotilla admiral. "We will be integrated into this exercise with our two units for around six weeks, with both the frigate and the task force provider having different tasks." Surface naval warfare, submarine hunting by helicopter and engaging land targets will be practised, says Schulz. "And also - and this is a novelty and doesn't always happen so often - we will take part in missile firing in the sea area around Hawaii."

The flotilla admiral said that they would then continue on to the Western Pacific. "After harbour visits in Japan and Singapore, we will move towards the Indian Ocean to exercise together with our strategic partner India." Only then will the unit return to Germany via the North Atlantic.

"The navy is a key player in deterrence and the prevention of future conflicts and an indispensable part of the armed forces," summarises Schulz. The range of capabilities extends from military diplomacy to high-intensity naval warfare. "Naval forces are de facto a reliable, flexible and globally deployable instrument of policy," says the flotilla admiral. The German Navy wants to prove this once again with its Indo-Pacific Deployment.

What is "In demand"?

The YouTube format "Nachgefragt" was launched after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. This was in response to the public's need for first-hand information on security policy. While "Nachgefragt" initially focussed exclusively on issues related to the war in Ukraine, the format was expanded following the Islamist terrorist attacks on Israel in October 2023. Instead of "conversations about the war in Ukraine", the programme now provides information on "crisis, war and conflict". Among other things, questions are dealt with that were raised by the Bundeswehr's civil dialogue and its Social-Media team and answered in "Nachgefragt". The format is also available as a podcast.

Source: bundeswehr.de