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Posted (edited)

With all of this DE/NL cooperation... How long until the dutch forces become just an annexe to the Bundeswehr?

Edited by Panzermann
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Posted

Or a follow-on design with joint input. The Dutch boats are more oriented to oceanic use, though I think Germany will remain wed to littoral missions, particularly with the prospect of having to face Russia in the Baltic Sea again. So probably not something the size of the Type 216 which is aimed at the Pacific market (Singapore's future Type 218 is also thought to be derived from this), but it might use some of the solutions proposed for it like the multi-purpose VLS/dock space in a package the size of the Dolphin 2 or so.

 

The 212A are good enough for the Baltic, but lately the Marine has been talking about something larger. So you could be right with something like U216. A joint buy by Dutch + Germans would surely be a good start for the export attempts.

Posted

With all of this DE/NL cooperation... How long until the dutch forces become just an annexe to the Bundeswehr?

 

Unless current trends are reversed, how long until there are no Dutch forces, period?

Posted

All successive Dutch governments since the end of the Cold War made cuts to the defense budget. Although the Walrus class submarines received a number of upgrades starting in 2007 and recently a decision was taken to replace them in 2025, their age (and the recent asbestos scandal) may well make them a target for future governments looking for money to finance the welfare state.

  • 4 weeks later...
Posted

With Poland, the intention is to swap one battalion each between brigades of both sides, though I failed to ask whether they would actually be based on the far side of their own border, a pretty relevant point in view of the current efforts to reassure East European NATO members and the limits of the NATO-Russia Founding Act to same.

 

This seems now decided; talk is of a battalion from Panzergrenadierbrigade 41 "Vorpommern" coming under Polish command and vice versa by mid-2016. It will be units already based close to the mutual border, but they will remain in place; possibly Panzergrenadierbataillon 411 in Viereck or Panzerbataillon 413 in Torgelow on the German side, both just about 30 km from Szczecin. You can't really put a Polish battalion into East Germany either; all the time I was so hung up over the NATO-Russia Founding Act that I forgot the 2+4 Treaty stipulates that no foreign armed forces shall be based or moved there. Of course that was also meant to refer to Western NATO troops, but the language merely says "foreign", which is pretty unambiguous.

 

BTW on the original topic, Gen. Laubenthal was there when Gen. Hodges of USAREUR gave a briefing in the house last week. Great flatterer, this Hodges. Started off in German, apologized that his language skills had crumbled since he was a little lieutenant based here and would therefore continue in English, then apologized again in case his English was not to good either "because I'm from Florida". He proceeded to call Laubenthal "not merely a passenger, but the Mercedes-Benz engine in the American vehicle". I thought he laid it on a little thick. :D

Posted

Laubenthal is a Chrysler Crossfire? :lol:

 

 


Of course that was also meant to refer to Western NATO troops, but the language merely says "foreign", which is pretty unambiguous.

Seems like an artifact from when the soviets aimed for a neutral Germany in the negotiations.

Posted
Seems like an artifact from when the soviets aimed for a neutral Germany in the negotiations.

Seems like Berlin is giving too much a fuck for much too long.

Posted

Well, given that the 2+4 Treaty also guarantees such minor things as the Oder-Neisse Line, you should be really supportive of anybody giving a fuck. :)

Posted

We also have a border treaty signed in 1990, don't we?

 

Sticking to such documents as 1997 NATO-Russia treaty makes no sense anymore, Russia doesn't give a flying fuck about the treaties it signs, including those about borders. It makes all those idiotic 'rotations' in Central Europe necessary, effectively dividing NATO into 'better' and 'worse' members.

Posted (edited)

Well, given that the 2+4 Treaty also guarantees such minor things as the Oder-Neisse Line, you should be really supportive of anybody giving a fuck. :)

Psht, shut up. Now we have to call back the friendly men in Lederhosen! *shreds plans* *whistles inconspiciously*

 


 

Seriously, even if there had not been this passage in the treaty, why should any of the NATO members (or any other foreign state) stationed any troops in the former GDR territory the last quarter of a century? Since 1990 the numbers have been successively been reduced and further reduction is going on. With the recent refocus on eastern Europe of NATO it is a minor inconvenience, but I strongly doubt any troops would be put in the former GDR even if it was possible. Makes more sense to me to put them in Poland, Romania or Turkey. And the three baltic states of course.

Edited by Panzermann
Posted

We also have a border treaty signed in 1990, don't we?

 

Well yes, though it makes reference to the 2+4 Treaty. But the latter is really such a fundamental cornerstone of European post-Cold War order that you don't want to fiddle with that. I know that's just what the Russians have been doing to other cornerstones; however, what's really up for debate if they continue is, as you say, the NATO-Russia Founding Act. After all, as Panzermann point out, it's the Eastern European members which face a possible immediate threat.

 

If we get to the point where putting additional NATO troops in East Germany looks necessary (or for that matter, increase of the Bundeswehr beyond the limit of 370,000 also stipulated in the 2+4 Treaty), the post-1990 regime has evaporated anyway. Increasing tensions further by touching that particular cornerstone is quite unnecessary if the general idea is that German soldiers should defend Eastern Poland if necessary, not Polish soldiers East Germany (because no Poland remains to defend) ...

Posted
Seriously, even if there had not been this passage in the treaty, why should any of the NATO members (or any other foreign state) stationed any troops in the former GDR territory the last quarter of a century?

 

To make a point?

 

All the best

 

Andreas

  • 1 month later...
Posted

<Ahem> Banshee, any reason you omitted Oder-West Neisse as the frontier? that was conceded in 1970 as part of the Ostpolitik of Mr. Brandt, right?

Posted

<Ahem> Banshee, any reason you omitted Oder-West Neisse as the frontier? that was conceded in 1970 as part of the Ostpolitik of Mr. Brandt, right?

 

In German it is only referred to as 'Oder-Neisse', this is the first time I have heard of 'West-Neisse' in this context. Has been like that since the 70s. I don't think there is a 'West Neisse' in German, it is called 'Lausitzer Neisse'.

 

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lausitzer_Neiße

 

All the best

 

Andreas

Posted

Frankly I wasn't even aware that there would be several, though I see now there are four headstreams (White, Black, Gablonzer and Wiesenthaler Neisse, all uniting inside the Czech Republic), and the Polish Oder tributaries of the Silesian, Angry ( :D ) and Little Neisse. I certainly didn't know there are Neisse rivers not directly feeding into the mainstream; as Andreas says, the latter is the only one commonly referred to in Germany, the "Oder-Neisse Line" being a very definite term.

Posted

Tease - humourless Germans.

 

Does not compute. :unsure:

 

All the best

 

Andreas

Posted

BansheeOne is one of those rare Germans with a genuine sense of humor. I think Dave C. had something to do with that.

Posted (edited)

There are lots of Germans with a sense of humor; the actual art is being able to revert to natural Teutonic humorlessness at the drop of a hat to deflect incoming jokes. :)

Edited by BansheeOne
  • 1 month later...
Posted

Furthermore, as so far only other nations' forces have been put under German formations, the political question is being asked how Germany could reprocitate. One rather obvious idea is for the Dutch to take the lead in amphibious operations, not least because it would allow the German government to weasel out of long-standing plans to procure some amphibious support ships of its own As Soon As Money Is Available; I guess the newly established Seebataillon could be assigned to the Korps Mariniers.

 

The latest rumor is that there are also plans for tighter naval cooperation, including joint use of submarines and amphibious support ships. Which makes a whole lot of sense.

 

:D I thought the same, but the one expressively mentioned is recently-finished JSS Karel Doorman which hasn't even been officially commissioned yet AFAIK (though she was already used for delivery of aid to the Ebola-stricken West African countries). She only narrowly survived a decision to not commission her at all for cost reasons in 2013, and is basically what Germany intended to get for an own JSS design if there ever was any money for it, so I guess sharing operating costs is good for both sides.

 

Thomas Wiegold reports that an evaluation to assign at least elements of the Seebataillon to the Korps Mariniers is indeed underway, possibly aimed at creating a Dutch-German amphibious group using the Dutch ships. Apparently not definite yet though.

  • 3 weeks later...
Posted

This seems now decided; talk is of a battalion from Panzergrenadierbrigade 41 "Vorpommern" coming under Polish command and vice versa by mid-2016. It will be units already based close to the mutual border, but they will remain in place; possibly Panzergrenadierbataillon 411 in Viereck or Panzerbataillon 413 in Torgelow on the German side, both just about 30 km from Szczecin. You can't really put a Polish battalion into East Germany either; all the time I was so hung up over the NATO-Russia Founding Act that I forgot the 2+4 Treaty stipulates that no foreign armed forces shall be based or moved there. Of course that was also meant to refer to Western NATO troops, but the language merely says "foreign", which is pretty unambiguous.

 

Looks like from the German side it will be an abovementioned Panzergrenadiere battalion, and one Leopard 2A5 tank battalion from 34th Armoured Cavalry Brigade from Polish side.

Posted

There are lots of Germans with a sense of humor; the actual art is being able to revert to natural Teutonic humorlessness at the drop of a hat to deflect incoming jokes. :)

 

I have no idea what you are talking about.

 

All the best

 

Andreas

Posted

:D

 

Yeah, Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen announced during her visit to 411 last week that the battalion will be assigned to the Polish side "step by step" over the next five years. Which I guess means transfering command authority step by step, not one company per year ...

 

On that note, I've also been wondering what assigning "elements" of the Seebataillon to the Korps Mariniers might mean. That battalion is a very diverse unit of individual specialized companies, parts of which are earmarked for national EvacOps missions; so the intention might be to provide company groups to the putative Dutch-German task force on a rotating basis. I haven't figured out their complete TO&E, but what I've been able to find is this:

 

 

 

Seebataillon

- Battalion HQ

- Medical Duty Squad

- Group Development Special Forces of the Navy

- Recruiting Team

 

Embarked Duty Company (provides boarding security teams for cooperative boarding operations and vessel protection detachments; both missions can be fulfilled simultaneously by an "embarked duty group")

- Company HQ

- Boat Squad (? This is from memory - can't find the report about company organization back)

2 x Embarked Duty Platoon (2/6//24//32)

- Platoon HQ (2/0/0//2)

- 3 x Boarding Security Team (0/2/8//10)

Shore Duty Company (3/47/140//190, with reserve platoon 4/56/172//232, but see note for sniper team below; provides port security and escort for road transport or by boat)

- Company HQ (1/7/2//10)

- Sniper Team (0/2/10//12; information from 2012 plans - may have become sniper platoon in reconnaissance company below as the latter seems to have been renamed from the original "support company" prior to establishment in 2014)

3 x Shore Duty Platoon (one reserve; 1/9/32//42)

- Platoon HQ (1/1/0//2)

- 4 x Shore Duty Team (0/2/8//10)

2 x NCO-led Shore Duty Platoon (0/10/32//42)

Mine Diver Company

- Company HQ

Mine Diver Platoon

- 9 x Mine Diver Sea Team (primary mission is deployment aboard minehunters and EO clearance to depths of 54 meters)

Mobile Mine Diver Platoon

- 3 x Mobile Mine Diver Team (primary mission is deployment aboard surface combatants and EO clearance of ports and amphibious landing zones ashore and to depths of ten meters)

Mine Diver Explosive Ordnance Disposal Platoon

- 4 x Mine Diver Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team (primary mission is direct support of the other companies or other troops including special forces of all services)

Reconnaissance Company

- Company HQ

Military Intelligence Platoon

(provides company intelligence support teams or squad-sized company intelligence support elements)

Technical Reconnaissance Platoon

(equipped with mobile IT and surveillance equipment, UAVs, diver detection sonar)

Sniper Platoon

(able to provide one team for sustained deployments and two more teams for limited deployments)

Training Center

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