Comment

I would like to say in advance: This comment is not a criticism of the Bayern's voyage. I have great respect for the crew, who stood their ground during the seven-month voyage over the Christmas and New Year period and despite the uncertainties caused by the pandemic, which meant that the port calls were not educational trips.

My thoughts are focussed on what is behind the Bavarians' trip. The very phrase "training and presence trip" makes me tense up. Used by the then Minister of Defence, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, at the decommissioning ceremony, I assume it has ministerial origins - i.e. not an invention of the Navy - and am encouraged by a glance at the website of the Federal Foreign Office. In the past, it would have been a training voyage in non-domestic waters (for insiders: AAG).