NATO UNCLASSIFIED
TUDEL/2013/737
Brussels, 8 November 20 13
Dear Mr. Secretary General,
Thanks to Your able leadership and the solidarity demonstrated by the Allies, the Council, in response to our request dated 21 November 2012, had agreed at its meeting of 4 December 2012 at the level of Ministers of Foreign Affairs to augment Turkey's air defense capabilities within the framework of the NATO Integrated Air Defense System (NATINADS) to preserve, protect and enhance the ability to defend the population and territory of my country. Furthermore, the Council had decided to regularly assess the implementation of its decision of 4 December 2012.
We welcome and continue to appreciate the deployment of Patriot missile batteries by Germany, the Netherlands and the United States in line with the Council decision, concretely demonstrating Alliance solidarity and resolve.
In view of the continuing instability along NATO's south-eastern border, the rationale for the continuation of the augmentation of Turkey's air defence capabilities still remain valid. Indeed, SACEUR's last report dated 27 September 2013 (P0(2013)0469) regarding NATO Support to Turkey-Patriot Deployment confirms that "the overall assessment of risks and threat to Turkey remains unchanged. The risk to Turkey posed by Syria's ballistic missile capability remains credible". The report also refers to the use of chemical weapons on 21 August 2013 and concludes that "the situation in Syria remains unstable".
On this basis, we request the continuation of the existing augmentation of Turkey's air defence capabilities by maintaining the deployment of Patriot batteries as well as the affiliated personnel, in line with our previous request of 21 November 2012 and the Council decision of 4 December 2012. In this context, the deployment will continue to be defensive only; it will in no way support a No Fly Zone or any offensive operation, and Turkey will continue to provide Host Nation Support as specified in the Implementing Agreement signed between SHAPE and Turkey on 12 January 2013.
The continuation of the deployment would reaffirm the determination of NATO to deter threats and defend Turkey, reflecting and confirming once again the Alliance solidarity.
I am sending a copy of this letter to the Allied Permanent Representatives, Chairman of the Military Committee and SACEUR.
(signed)
(Fatih Ceylan)
H.E. Anders Fogh Rasmussen
NATO Secretary General
Brussels
(Defensie weblog, 12 November 2013)
Posts tonen met het label Germany. Alle posts tonen
Posts tonen met het label Germany. Alle posts tonen
dinsdag 12 november 2013
dinsdag 28 mei 2013
Germany, Netherlands to enhance military cooperation
Declaration of Intent between the Federal Minister of Defence of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of the Netherlands on the further Enhancement of Bilateral Relations in the Field of Defence
The Federal Minister of Defence of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of the Netherlands hereinafter referred to as the “sides”, resolved to promote international stability and to secure peace in the spirit of the Charter of the United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty and the Treaty on the European Union having regard to:
· the Declaration of Intent between the Federal Minister of Defence of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of the Netherlands on a New Approach towards Bilateral Defence Cooperation, June 19th 2002;
· the German-Netherlands Common Army Vision on Future Cooperation, April 6th 2005;
· the Memorandum of Understanding between the Federal Ministry of Defence of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of the Netherlands concerning defence materiel cooperation, August 29th 2006;
· the Agreement between the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands on bilateral defence cooperation, November 8th 2006;
· the Memorandum of Understanding between the Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Federal Ministry of Defence of the Federal Republic of Germany concerning the Cooperation of the Armed Forces in the Field of Training, October 2nd 2008;
· the Letter of Intent between the Commander of the German Army and the Commander of the Royal Netherlands Army on Intensified Army Cooperation, July 12th 2012; welcome the very positive development in recent years of the traditionally excellent and friendly relations between Germany and the Netherlands. Both sides share the understanding that this Declaration of Intent will highlight and confirm their existing excellent relations and provide a sound basis for the even further enhancement of the German-Netherlands cooperation in the future.
The enhancement of German-Netherlands cooperation will comprise security, defence and armaments policy aspects, in order to represent common interests in an international environment in a coordinated, efficient and effective manner, including practical military cooperation between the Services. Furthermore, cooperation will be broadened in the areas of capabilities as well as operations, joint exercises and training. Bearing in mind that today’s security challenges can be tackled more effectively when working together, both sides explicitly welcome cooperation with additional partners.
Security, Defence and Armaments Policy
Both sides share common interests and values. These will remain the firm basis of their bilateral relations and be at the core of their enhanced cooperation in the future. Both sides intend to further strengthen the ability of NATO and the European Union to take action in matters of security, defence and armaments policy.
A vital condition for successful, viable and results-oriented German-Netherlands cooperation is a mutual understanding between partners and a shared view of the strategic challenges. Only on this foundation, will both sides succeed in defining common objectives, developing joint courses of action and identifying the required assets and capabilities.
Both sides will identify, discuss and strive for a common understanding of defence-related strategic and policy issues of common interest. They therefore intend to maintain close relations at defence ministers’ level and to continue their semi-annual bilateral security policy talks at Policy Directors’ level (High Level Steering Group).
Cooperation on Capabilities
Multinational approaches as well as Pooling & Sharing are key instruments in closing capability gaps and in ensuring the provision of adequate military capabilities. Both sides strongly support the EU and NATO initiatives currently being pursued. The two sides underline that closer cooperation will improve efficiency in the area of capability development, thus creating a long-term advantage for both countries. All possibilities for bilateral cooperation will be exploited, within all areas of concept & capability development, command and control, combat as well as combat support and combat service support. Further progress must be made towards harmonizing the common analysis of future national capability needs. Both sides will additionally strive for an optimum resource allocation and cost-efficiency in all defence-related areas. Both sides will meet frequently at ministerial level to coordinate plans and to investigate new initiatives for cooperation on capabilities.
An enhanced cooperation and capability development is to be supported by military research and technology, defence procurement and the logistic support for all systems of interest. To strengthen cooperation on capability development, the National Capability Directors will meet when required. To strengthen armaments cooperation, the National Armaments Directors will meet every six months, moreover, a steering committee will be established for current activities.
Operations, Joint Exercises and Training
Past combined efforts of the German and Netherlands armed forces include operations in Kosovo (KFOR), in Afghanistan (ISAF including two rotations of the 1 (German/Netherlands) Corps as ISAF HQ, PRT and the Police Training Mission in Kunduz), off the Horn of Africa (EUNAVFOR ATALANTA) and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (EUFOR). Of recent date is the cooperation in the PATRIOT deployment to Turkey (ACTIVE FENCE/ANATOLIAN PROTECTOR). In view of their many commonalities in their strategic and operational approach to multinational operations, both sides declare their willingness to intensify all possibilities for cooperation, particularly in future operations.
Combined joint training and exercises as well as the mutual exchange of innovative plans and products, knowledge and lessons learned will substantially improve mutual understanding between the Armies, Navies and Air Forces, as well as the Medical Services, contribute towards enhanced interoperability during joint UN, NATO or EU-led operations and ultimately increase the effectiveness of both sides’ armed forces. In this context, particular attention will be paid to common planning, preparations and pre-deployment training and exercises in case their forces are engaged in operations where multinational interaction and cooperation at operational and tactical level is required. Both nations intend to enhance the use of 1 (German/Netherlands) Corps as platform for combined training as well as the leading command and control element for multinational operations. Furthermore, the integration of 11 (Netherlands) Airmobile Brigade (11(NLD) LMB) into the German Division Schnelle Kräfte (DEU DSK) by January 2014 will enhance interoperability and common planning, preparations and pre-deployment training. The permanent posting of exchange officers at MoD level and at headquarters as well as the exchange of personnel in their national units and of instructors and students/cadets at military educational institutions are well-established procedures and extremely valuable in underlining the willingness to integrate. Both sides are prepared to examine further possibilities to exchange personnel.
Both sides express their desire to continue the established cooperation in operations, joint exercises and training. In order to coordinate, facilitate and further develop this cooperation, both sides agree that their Armies, Navies and Air Forces as well as Medical Services will continue to conduct their staff talks and explore opportunities for establishing more permanent forms of cooperation and deeper integration. These efforts should take into account the potential of integrated command and control structures on a permanent basis to ensure unity of command in operations and exercises. At Service level, units could be placed under common operational command and be deeply integrated on a permanent basis while remaining stationed at their peace-time locations.
Conclusion
Being firmly convinced that the further enhancement of their cooperation will contribute to improving their joint response to future challenges and threats and have a positive impact on European Security and Defence, the two sides declare their intent to:
· continue the mutually beneficial, professional and friendly partnership in the interest of both countries and,
· further enhance cooperation at ministerial level as well as between the armed forces regarding Security, Defence and Armaments Policy, Cooperation on Capabilities and Cooperation on Operations, Joint Exercises and Training, based on a reciprocal examination of opportunities and areas that are of mutual interest.
Roadmap
Following this firm commitment to further expand and deepen their cooperation in the defence field both sides agree on a roadmap of energetic steps to achieve tangible results. This roadmap, attached as an annex to this declaration, will be regarded as a living, non-limitative document, serving to evaluate the status and progress of the German-Netherlands cooperation in the field of defence at ministerial level.
Signed in duplicate
Dr. Thomas de Maizière Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert
Federal Minister of Defence Minister of Defence
of the Federal Republic of Germany of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Annex: Roadmap for the Further Enhancement of the Bilateral Relations in the Field of Defence
Goals:
A. Intensify the German-Netherlands defence cooperation, considering the necessity to identify new options by frequent consultations in flexible, effective and efficient formats, enhance coordination and monitoring of the various cooperation projects and include aspects of operations as well as planning and concept development;
B. Develop a shared view on the strategic challenges in order to define our ambitions in the
field of Security, Defence and Armaments Policy;
C. Strive for harmonization of defence planning processes in general.
In addition to the enhancement of cooperation activities at ministerial level, as described in the declaration and the goals above, the following non-exhaustive overview identifies further areas of intensified cooperation – in particular at Service level:
Cooperation on Capabilities Projects:
All of the following topics are already integrated in Army, Navy or Air Force cooperation, but the involvement of MoD Plans and Policy Directorates as well as defence materiel organisations is needed to support decision-making. This paragraph also mentions fields of cooperation that cannot be attributed to one single inter-Service cooperation, as a result of the diverging task assignment within the DEU and NLD Armed Forces.
· Maintenance of ground-based systems. DEU and NLD use similar ground-based systems, such as the Boxer, Fennek and PzH 2000. It is worthwhile investigating possibilities for cooperation in the fields of maintenance and logistics for these systems. As for procurement, maintenance and phase-out of Army equipment, common interests and approaches should be investigated in an early stage of the process;
· DEU and NLD are both partners in the NH-90 programme and already work together within the established agencies. Possibilities of strengthening cooperation in the field of maintenance, education and training should be developed. If DEU decides to procure the NFH version of the NH-90, a trilateral cooperation with Belgium, for instance on common spare part pooling and management might be beneficial;
· DEU and NLD are both in the preparation phase for procurement of a MALE UAV. If both countries decide to acquire the same UAV system, this will create several opportunities for materiel cooperation, which can be exploited. In addition, other forms of cooperation in the field of UAVs, such as education, training and operational use, will be possible;
· DEU and NLD both have expertise in designing and building submarines. Shared knowledge and expertise can be used for the design and development of a new class of submarines for both countries;
· Replacement of Mine Countermeasures capability. Together with Belgium, knowledge acquisition and sharing, in the field of mine countermeasures in order to investigate common replacement of MCM capabilities;
· Development of a (sea-based) Missile Defence Capability on the basis of the SMART-L
Radar;
· Combined procurement and stockpiling of supporting equipment and clothing.
Army cooperation:
· Development of 1 (German-Netherlands) Corps in Münster into a Joint Task Force Headquarters Land (JTF HQ L)/Joint Command and Control Capability (JC2C). Furthermore, both nations should evaluate the possibility of providing 1 (German/Netherlands) Corps as a JTF HQ (L)/JC2C to NATO’s Long-Term Rotation Plan (LTRP) in the future.
· The DEU-NLD Common Army Vision on Future Cooperation of April 6th 2005 is the basis for cooperation between the two Armies. DEU-NLD Army staff talks take place as Army Steering Group (ASG) meetings at least twice a year. The ASG identifies new opportunities for cooperation and coordinates and monitors the execution of cooperation initiatives. The recent new initiatives and studies (Project Griffin) to intensify the DEUNLD Army cooperation will be the main priority of the DEU-NLD ASG for the upcoming years. Promising supervised initiatives are investigated with highest priority. Currently existing fields of cooperation - mainly training and exercises - will be deepened where possible.
· Prioritized initiatives are:
Development of a bi-national DEU-NLD Fire Support unit (FOC within 3-5 years);
Common Joint Fire Support training;
Integration of 11(NLD) LMB (ground component) into DEU DSK (January 2014);
Training of NLD units with DEU tank units;
Intensification of DEU-NLD Training & Exercise including UN Training and Para Training & Exercises.
· The intent of the ASG is to bring forward implementation proposals to the Chiefs of Staff of the Armies no later than June 2013. Agreed proposals for short-term implementation (2013-2014) will be forwarded to the High-Level Steering Group for approval at ministerial level.
· Fields for medium and long-term (Army) feasibility studies are: common logistic support, logistic role specialization, CIS interoperability, officer and NCO training, common Army vision on land warfare, common doctrine on land warfare, NLD participation in DEU division staffs, attachment of units to 1 (German/Netherlands) Corps, development of common organizational structures (support), cooperation in Electronic Warfare, engineering and C-IED.
Air Force cooperation:
· Further integration within the EATC.
· Continue the intensification of bilateral cooperation on Ground Based Air and Missile Defence (GBA&MD) between DEU Air Force and NLD Army, as defined in the Terms of Reference of the bi-national project group.
· Intensify the existing GBA&MD cooperation by
Strengthening the cooperation in the areas of operations, logistics and training;
Embedding individual NLD GBA&MD experts into DEU GBA&MD Wing 1 “Schleswig-Holstein” in 2014;
Common further development of GBA&MD tactical firing exercises;
Aiming at developing a common mission-oriented (not standing) binational GBA&MD unit.
· Cooperation on helicopter capabilities (cross-Service DEU and NLD Armies and Air Forces):
DEU Participation in the NLD Helicopter Weapons Instructor Course (HWIC);
Cooperation in the field of Helicopter Underslung Loads Equipment (HUSLE) and Underslung Load Clearance (ULC);
Contribution to the integration of 11(NLD) LMB (ground component) into DEU DSK (January 2014);
Mutual participation in certification exercises, when both countries contribute to the same operational readiness unit (IRF/NRF or EUBG).
· Cooperation in the field of Space Situational Awareness;
· Development of combined Survive, Evade, Resist & Extract (SERE) training and education, together with Belgium.
Navy cooperation:
Widening and intensifying the existing cooperation between the DEU and NLD Navies on a
broad basis, such as:
· Education & Training: PWO Course, Air Defence Course, Very Shallow Water Operations (via CoE CSW at Kiel and MBS Eguermin at Oostende);
· Shipbuilding & Design: sharing of knowledge and expertise with regard to feasibility, operational concepts, design and procurement studies on new weapon systems;
· Exchange of personnel on board operational units;
· Sharing of Lessons Identified/Learned from operations.
In order to expand and deepen the cooperation between both navies, bilateral working groups will be established concerning:
· Sharing of knowledge and capabilities in replenishment, seabasing and amphibious operations;
· Establishment of a multinational Submarine Command during Operations, Training, Education and Logistics;
· Sharing of training facilities and capabilities (i.e. Helicopter Controller Training, Submarine Training Centre);
· Co-ordination of annual Operational Programming of assets;
· Shared development of naval doctrine;
· Exchange of information and mutual support regarding the development of a maritime Ballistic Missile Defence capability;
· Exchange of knowledge and experience on the use of UAVs on board naval units;
· Medical Service: cooperation of Medical Teams during operations (i.e. ATALANTA).
Cooperation between Medical Services:
· Development of a modular Role 2/3 facility, based on the Smart Defence project 1.15 and further development of a Trauma Registry System from point of wounding until final treatment, based on the NATO Trauma Registry software, available since November 2012.
· Continuation of the training of bi-national medevac crews in the EATC cooperation;
· Pre-deployment training for bi-national medical teams or units to be deployed;
· NLD contribution to further development of DEU education and training approach (including observer/trainer system);
· Explore opportunities for the mutual use of training facilities;
· Exchange of information: continue exchange of information and experience in the field of Mil Mental Healthcare, Rehabilitation, quality control systems and MEDINT;
· Investigate sustainable provision of primary healthcare for military personnel of 1 (German/Netherlands) Corps in Münster;
Cooperation DEU Streitkräftebasis and NLD Command Service Centre:
· Intensification of cooperation between NLD Defence Academy (NLDA) and Führungsakademie der Bundeswehr (FüAkBw) as well as exchange of lecturers at the DEU and NLD General Staff Courses.
· Reciprocal examination of opportunities in the fields of ISTAR, CBRN and C-RAM is of mutual interest for both armed forces.
· Intensification of cooperation with regard to training in CBRN Defence. Investigation of options for mutual CBRN Defence capability development and CBRN Defence units.
· Further exploration of options to enhance the NATO CIMIC capability development through close cooperation of the CCOE framework nations DEU and NLD. Investigation of the possibility for setting up DEU-NLD CIMIC formations at tactical level and to conduct common training.
(ministerie van Defensie, 28 mei 2013)
The Federal Minister of Defence of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of the Netherlands hereinafter referred to as the “sides”, resolved to promote international stability and to secure peace in the spirit of the Charter of the United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty and the Treaty on the European Union having regard to:
· the Declaration of Intent between the Federal Minister of Defence of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of the Netherlands on a New Approach towards Bilateral Defence Cooperation, June 19th 2002;
· the German-Netherlands Common Army Vision on Future Cooperation, April 6th 2005;
· the Memorandum of Understanding between the Federal Ministry of Defence of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of the Netherlands concerning defence materiel cooperation, August 29th 2006;
· the Agreement between the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands on bilateral defence cooperation, November 8th 2006;
· the Memorandum of Understanding between the Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Federal Ministry of Defence of the Federal Republic of Germany concerning the Cooperation of the Armed Forces in the Field of Training, October 2nd 2008;
· the Letter of Intent between the Commander of the German Army and the Commander of the Royal Netherlands Army on Intensified Army Cooperation, July 12th 2012; welcome the very positive development in recent years of the traditionally excellent and friendly relations between Germany and the Netherlands. Both sides share the understanding that this Declaration of Intent will highlight and confirm their existing excellent relations and provide a sound basis for the even further enhancement of the German-Netherlands cooperation in the future.
The enhancement of German-Netherlands cooperation will comprise security, defence and armaments policy aspects, in order to represent common interests in an international environment in a coordinated, efficient and effective manner, including practical military cooperation between the Services. Furthermore, cooperation will be broadened in the areas of capabilities as well as operations, joint exercises and training. Bearing in mind that today’s security challenges can be tackled more effectively when working together, both sides explicitly welcome cooperation with additional partners.
Security, Defence and Armaments Policy
Both sides share common interests and values. These will remain the firm basis of their bilateral relations and be at the core of their enhanced cooperation in the future. Both sides intend to further strengthen the ability of NATO and the European Union to take action in matters of security, defence and armaments policy.
A vital condition for successful, viable and results-oriented German-Netherlands cooperation is a mutual understanding between partners and a shared view of the strategic challenges. Only on this foundation, will both sides succeed in defining common objectives, developing joint courses of action and identifying the required assets and capabilities.
Both sides will identify, discuss and strive for a common understanding of defence-related strategic and policy issues of common interest. They therefore intend to maintain close relations at defence ministers’ level and to continue their semi-annual bilateral security policy talks at Policy Directors’ level (High Level Steering Group).
Cooperation on Capabilities
Multinational approaches as well as Pooling & Sharing are key instruments in closing capability gaps and in ensuring the provision of adequate military capabilities. Both sides strongly support the EU and NATO initiatives currently being pursued. The two sides underline that closer cooperation will improve efficiency in the area of capability development, thus creating a long-term advantage for both countries. All possibilities for bilateral cooperation will be exploited, within all areas of concept & capability development, command and control, combat as well as combat support and combat service support. Further progress must be made towards harmonizing the common analysis of future national capability needs. Both sides will additionally strive for an optimum resource allocation and cost-efficiency in all defence-related areas. Both sides will meet frequently at ministerial level to coordinate plans and to investigate new initiatives for cooperation on capabilities.
An enhanced cooperation and capability development is to be supported by military research and technology, defence procurement and the logistic support for all systems of interest. To strengthen cooperation on capability development, the National Capability Directors will meet when required. To strengthen armaments cooperation, the National Armaments Directors will meet every six months, moreover, a steering committee will be established for current activities.
Operations, Joint Exercises and Training
Past combined efforts of the German and Netherlands armed forces include operations in Kosovo (KFOR), in Afghanistan (ISAF including two rotations of the 1 (German/Netherlands) Corps as ISAF HQ, PRT and the Police Training Mission in Kunduz), off the Horn of Africa (EUNAVFOR ATALANTA) and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (EUFOR). Of recent date is the cooperation in the PATRIOT deployment to Turkey (ACTIVE FENCE/ANATOLIAN PROTECTOR). In view of their many commonalities in their strategic and operational approach to multinational operations, both sides declare their willingness to intensify all possibilities for cooperation, particularly in future operations.
Combined joint training and exercises as well as the mutual exchange of innovative plans and products, knowledge and lessons learned will substantially improve mutual understanding between the Armies, Navies and Air Forces, as well as the Medical Services, contribute towards enhanced interoperability during joint UN, NATO or EU-led operations and ultimately increase the effectiveness of both sides’ armed forces. In this context, particular attention will be paid to common planning, preparations and pre-deployment training and exercises in case their forces are engaged in operations where multinational interaction and cooperation at operational and tactical level is required. Both nations intend to enhance the use of 1 (German/Netherlands) Corps as platform for combined training as well as the leading command and control element for multinational operations. Furthermore, the integration of 11 (Netherlands) Airmobile Brigade (11(NLD) LMB) into the German Division Schnelle Kräfte (DEU DSK) by January 2014 will enhance interoperability and common planning, preparations and pre-deployment training. The permanent posting of exchange officers at MoD level and at headquarters as well as the exchange of personnel in their national units and of instructors and students/cadets at military educational institutions are well-established procedures and extremely valuable in underlining the willingness to integrate. Both sides are prepared to examine further possibilities to exchange personnel.
Both sides express their desire to continue the established cooperation in operations, joint exercises and training. In order to coordinate, facilitate and further develop this cooperation, both sides agree that their Armies, Navies and Air Forces as well as Medical Services will continue to conduct their staff talks and explore opportunities for establishing more permanent forms of cooperation and deeper integration. These efforts should take into account the potential of integrated command and control structures on a permanent basis to ensure unity of command in operations and exercises. At Service level, units could be placed under common operational command and be deeply integrated on a permanent basis while remaining stationed at their peace-time locations.
Conclusion
Being firmly convinced that the further enhancement of their cooperation will contribute to improving their joint response to future challenges and threats and have a positive impact on European Security and Defence, the two sides declare their intent to:
· continue the mutually beneficial, professional and friendly partnership in the interest of both countries and,
· further enhance cooperation at ministerial level as well as between the armed forces regarding Security, Defence and Armaments Policy, Cooperation on Capabilities and Cooperation on Operations, Joint Exercises and Training, based on a reciprocal examination of opportunities and areas that are of mutual interest.
Roadmap
Following this firm commitment to further expand and deepen their cooperation in the defence field both sides agree on a roadmap of energetic steps to achieve tangible results. This roadmap, attached as an annex to this declaration, will be regarded as a living, non-limitative document, serving to evaluate the status and progress of the German-Netherlands cooperation in the field of defence at ministerial level.
Signed in duplicate
Dr. Thomas de Maizière Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert
Federal Minister of Defence Minister of Defence
of the Federal Republic of Germany of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Annex: Roadmap for the Further Enhancement of the Bilateral Relations in the Field of Defence
Goals:
A. Intensify the German-Netherlands defence cooperation, considering the necessity to identify new options by frequent consultations in flexible, effective and efficient formats, enhance coordination and monitoring of the various cooperation projects and include aspects of operations as well as planning and concept development;
B. Develop a shared view on the strategic challenges in order to define our ambitions in the
field of Security, Defence and Armaments Policy;
C. Strive for harmonization of defence planning processes in general.
In addition to the enhancement of cooperation activities at ministerial level, as described in the declaration and the goals above, the following non-exhaustive overview identifies further areas of intensified cooperation – in particular at Service level:
Cooperation on Capabilities Projects:
All of the following topics are already integrated in Army, Navy or Air Force cooperation, but the involvement of MoD Plans and Policy Directorates as well as defence materiel organisations is needed to support decision-making. This paragraph also mentions fields of cooperation that cannot be attributed to one single inter-Service cooperation, as a result of the diverging task assignment within the DEU and NLD Armed Forces.
· Maintenance of ground-based systems. DEU and NLD use similar ground-based systems, such as the Boxer, Fennek and PzH 2000. It is worthwhile investigating possibilities for cooperation in the fields of maintenance and logistics for these systems. As for procurement, maintenance and phase-out of Army equipment, common interests and approaches should be investigated in an early stage of the process;
· DEU and NLD are both partners in the NH-90 programme and already work together within the established agencies. Possibilities of strengthening cooperation in the field of maintenance, education and training should be developed. If DEU decides to procure the NFH version of the NH-90, a trilateral cooperation with Belgium, for instance on common spare part pooling and management might be beneficial;
· DEU and NLD are both in the preparation phase for procurement of a MALE UAV. If both countries decide to acquire the same UAV system, this will create several opportunities for materiel cooperation, which can be exploited. In addition, other forms of cooperation in the field of UAVs, such as education, training and operational use, will be possible;
· DEU and NLD both have expertise in designing and building submarines. Shared knowledge and expertise can be used for the design and development of a new class of submarines for both countries;
· Replacement of Mine Countermeasures capability. Together with Belgium, knowledge acquisition and sharing, in the field of mine countermeasures in order to investigate common replacement of MCM capabilities;
· Development of a (sea-based) Missile Defence Capability on the basis of the SMART-L
Radar;
· Combined procurement and stockpiling of supporting equipment and clothing.
Army cooperation:
· Development of 1 (German-Netherlands) Corps in Münster into a Joint Task Force Headquarters Land (JTF HQ L)/Joint Command and Control Capability (JC2C). Furthermore, both nations should evaluate the possibility of providing 1 (German/Netherlands) Corps as a JTF HQ (L)/JC2C to NATO’s Long-Term Rotation Plan (LTRP) in the future.
· The DEU-NLD Common Army Vision on Future Cooperation of April 6th 2005 is the basis for cooperation between the two Armies. DEU-NLD Army staff talks take place as Army Steering Group (ASG) meetings at least twice a year. The ASG identifies new opportunities for cooperation and coordinates and monitors the execution of cooperation initiatives. The recent new initiatives and studies (Project Griffin) to intensify the DEUNLD Army cooperation will be the main priority of the DEU-NLD ASG for the upcoming years. Promising supervised initiatives are investigated with highest priority. Currently existing fields of cooperation - mainly training and exercises - will be deepened where possible.
· Prioritized initiatives are:
Development of a bi-national DEU-NLD Fire Support unit (FOC within 3-5 years);
Common Joint Fire Support training;
Integration of 11(NLD) LMB (ground component) into DEU DSK (January 2014);
Training of NLD units with DEU tank units;
Intensification of DEU-NLD Training & Exercise including UN Training and Para Training & Exercises.
· The intent of the ASG is to bring forward implementation proposals to the Chiefs of Staff of the Armies no later than June 2013. Agreed proposals for short-term implementation (2013-2014) will be forwarded to the High-Level Steering Group for approval at ministerial level.
· Fields for medium and long-term (Army) feasibility studies are: common logistic support, logistic role specialization, CIS interoperability, officer and NCO training, common Army vision on land warfare, common doctrine on land warfare, NLD participation in DEU division staffs, attachment of units to 1 (German/Netherlands) Corps, development of common organizational structures (support), cooperation in Electronic Warfare, engineering and C-IED.
Air Force cooperation:
· Further integration within the EATC.
· Continue the intensification of bilateral cooperation on Ground Based Air and Missile Defence (GBA&MD) between DEU Air Force and NLD Army, as defined in the Terms of Reference of the bi-national project group.
· Intensify the existing GBA&MD cooperation by
Strengthening the cooperation in the areas of operations, logistics and training;
Embedding individual NLD GBA&MD experts into DEU GBA&MD Wing 1 “Schleswig-Holstein” in 2014;
Common further development of GBA&MD tactical firing exercises;
Aiming at developing a common mission-oriented (not standing) binational GBA&MD unit.
· Cooperation on helicopter capabilities (cross-Service DEU and NLD Armies and Air Forces):
DEU Participation in the NLD Helicopter Weapons Instructor Course (HWIC);
Cooperation in the field of Helicopter Underslung Loads Equipment (HUSLE) and Underslung Load Clearance (ULC);
Contribution to the integration of 11(NLD) LMB (ground component) into DEU DSK (January 2014);
Mutual participation in certification exercises, when both countries contribute to the same operational readiness unit (IRF/NRF or EUBG).
· Cooperation in the field of Space Situational Awareness;
· Development of combined Survive, Evade, Resist & Extract (SERE) training and education, together with Belgium.
Navy cooperation:
Widening and intensifying the existing cooperation between the DEU and NLD Navies on a
broad basis, such as:
· Education & Training: PWO Course, Air Defence Course, Very Shallow Water Operations (via CoE CSW at Kiel and MBS Eguermin at Oostende);
· Shipbuilding & Design: sharing of knowledge and expertise with regard to feasibility, operational concepts, design and procurement studies on new weapon systems;
· Exchange of personnel on board operational units;
· Sharing of Lessons Identified/Learned from operations.
In order to expand and deepen the cooperation between both navies, bilateral working groups will be established concerning:
· Sharing of knowledge and capabilities in replenishment, seabasing and amphibious operations;
· Establishment of a multinational Submarine Command during Operations, Training, Education and Logistics;
· Sharing of training facilities and capabilities (i.e. Helicopter Controller Training, Submarine Training Centre);
· Co-ordination of annual Operational Programming of assets;
· Shared development of naval doctrine;
· Exchange of information and mutual support regarding the development of a maritime Ballistic Missile Defence capability;
· Exchange of knowledge and experience on the use of UAVs on board naval units;
· Medical Service: cooperation of Medical Teams during operations (i.e. ATALANTA).
Cooperation between Medical Services:
· Development of a modular Role 2/3 facility, based on the Smart Defence project 1.15 and further development of a Trauma Registry System from point of wounding until final treatment, based on the NATO Trauma Registry software, available since November 2012.
· Continuation of the training of bi-national medevac crews in the EATC cooperation;
· Pre-deployment training for bi-national medical teams or units to be deployed;
· NLD contribution to further development of DEU education and training approach (including observer/trainer system);
· Explore opportunities for the mutual use of training facilities;
· Exchange of information: continue exchange of information and experience in the field of Mil Mental Healthcare, Rehabilitation, quality control systems and MEDINT;
· Investigate sustainable provision of primary healthcare for military personnel of 1 (German/Netherlands) Corps in Münster;
Cooperation DEU Streitkräftebasis and NLD Command Service Centre:
· Intensification of cooperation between NLD Defence Academy (NLDA) and Führungsakademie der Bundeswehr (FüAkBw) as well as exchange of lecturers at the DEU and NLD General Staff Courses.
· Reciprocal examination of opportunities in the fields of ISTAR, CBRN and C-RAM is of mutual interest for both armed forces.
· Intensification of cooperation with regard to training in CBRN Defence. Investigation of options for mutual CBRN Defence capability development and CBRN Defence units.
· Further exploration of options to enhance the NATO CIMIC capability development through close cooperation of the CCOE framework nations DEU and NLD. Investigation of the possibility for setting up DEU-NLD CIMIC formations at tactical level and to conduct common training.
(ministerie van Defensie, 28 mei 2013)
zaterdag 23 februari 2013
Turkish, German and Dutch defense ministers visit Patriots deployed in Turkey
Turkish Defense Minister İsmet Yılmaz along with his German and Dutch counterparts visited the Patriot missile systems deployed from both countries in Adana and Kahramanmaraş near the Turkish-Syrian border on Feb. 23.
Germany's defense minister Thomas de Maizière said during the visit that they delivered a "clear warning" to Damascus that NATO would not tolerate missiles being fired into Turkey.
"Our presence here serves to make sure that Syria doesn't turn its capabilities into action," de Maizière said, while also saying that the risk of attack was "minimal". "We can see from here that Syria is using rockets - often several times a day” he added.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel was scheduled to visit the same area on Sunday when she begins a two-day visit to Turkey.
Dutch Defense Minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert reiterated that Holland was willing to fulfill its commitments as a member of NATO. “What is happening in Syria showed us that war could occur nearby in Europe. This is a very important fact [from the viewpoint of] our security concept. It is a situation that we should never forget. We have to take lessons from what we have observed in Mali, Libya and Syria,” she said.
The hosting minister Yılmaz stressed that his counterparts had come to Turkey upon the government’s invitation. He thanked both countries as well as the United States for having responded to NATO’s call, adding that deterrence has increased in the region thanks to the Patriot batteries.
Turkey requested help from its NATO allies after shells landed on its border areas from Syria in October 2012, killing a number of villagers.
NATO approved the deployment later that year in December, saying the use of ballistic missiles by the Syrian regime posed a threat to Turkey and insisting that the move to deploy Patriots was purely defensive.
(Hurriyet, 23 February 2013)
Germany's defense minister Thomas de Maizière said during the visit that they delivered a "clear warning" to Damascus that NATO would not tolerate missiles being fired into Turkey.
"Our presence here serves to make sure that Syria doesn't turn its capabilities into action," de Maizière said, while also saying that the risk of attack was "minimal". "We can see from here that Syria is using rockets - often several times a day” he added.
 |
| Defence ministers De Maizière, Hennis-Plaschaert, Yilmaz Photo: MoD, The Netherlands |
German Chancellor Angela Merkel was scheduled to visit the same area on Sunday when she begins a two-day visit to Turkey.
Dutch Defense Minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert reiterated that Holland was willing to fulfill its commitments as a member of NATO. “What is happening in Syria showed us that war could occur nearby in Europe. This is a very important fact [from the viewpoint of] our security concept. It is a situation that we should never forget. We have to take lessons from what we have observed in Mali, Libya and Syria,” she said.
The hosting minister Yılmaz stressed that his counterparts had come to Turkey upon the government’s invitation. He thanked both countries as well as the United States for having responded to NATO’s call, adding that deterrence has increased in the region thanks to the Patriot batteries.
Turkey requested help from its NATO allies after shells landed on its border areas from Syria in October 2012, killing a number of villagers.
NATO approved the deployment later that year in December, saying the use of ballistic missiles by the Syrian regime posed a threat to Turkey and insisting that the move to deploy Patriots was purely defensive.
(Hurriyet, 23 February 2013)
NATO Defence Ministers visit Patriot deployment
The German, Dutch and Turkish defence ministers paid a joint visit to NATO Patriot batteries in Turkey on Saturday 23 February, in a signal of Alliance solidarity.
The Turkish defence minister Ismet Yilmaz thanked Allies for their support. ''We are very pleased at how quickly NATO responded to our request to reinforce our air defences. I personally want to thank my fellow Ministers from Germany and the Netherlands for their important contribution,'' Mr Yilmaz said.
The three defence ministers visited both the Dutch and German patriot sites at Adana and Kahramanmaras during their two-day stay, and received an operational briefing from the Dutch and German Patriot commanders. They also met with local Turkish officials and officers.
The German defence minister Thomas de Maizière stressed the defensive nature of the deployment. ''The defensive nature of the mission is not only due to the NATO mandate, but also for technical reasons. The position and range of the Patriots makes it impossible to enforce a no-fly zone or attack Syria'', said Mr de Maiziere.
The Dutch defence minister Jeannine Hennis-Plasschaert said the joint visit demonstrated the Alliance’s resolve and solidarity. ''The strong solidarity that exists in NATO is very evident here today. The Netherlands are ready and pleased to serve and help our fellow Ally Turkey,'' Ms Hennis-Plasschaert said.
The ministers travelled to Turkey immediately after attending a defence ministerial in Brussels at NATO headquarters on Friday. The visit comes after the last of the deployed batteries became operational under NATO command and control on 15 February. Germany, the Netherlands and the United States provide two batteries each to augment Turkey’s air defences. The systems are deployed in Kahramanmaras, Adana, and Gaziantep.
(NATO, 23 February 2013)
The Turkish defence minister Ismet Yilmaz thanked Allies for their support. ''We are very pleased at how quickly NATO responded to our request to reinforce our air defences. I personally want to thank my fellow Ministers from Germany and the Netherlands for their important contribution,'' Mr Yilmaz said.
 |
| Dutch Patriot launcher, Turkey. Photo: MoD, The Netherlands |
The German defence minister Thomas de Maizière stressed the defensive nature of the deployment. ''The defensive nature of the mission is not only due to the NATO mandate, but also for technical reasons. The position and range of the Patriots makes it impossible to enforce a no-fly zone or attack Syria'', said Mr de Maiziere.
The Dutch defence minister Jeannine Hennis-Plasschaert said the joint visit demonstrated the Alliance’s resolve and solidarity. ''The strong solidarity that exists in NATO is very evident here today. The Netherlands are ready and pleased to serve and help our fellow Ally Turkey,'' Ms Hennis-Plasschaert said.
The ministers travelled to Turkey immediately after attending a defence ministerial in Brussels at NATO headquarters on Friday. The visit comes after the last of the deployed batteries became operational under NATO command and control on 15 February. Germany, the Netherlands and the United States provide two batteries each to augment Turkey’s air defences. The systems are deployed in Kahramanmaras, Adana, and Gaziantep.
(NATO, 23 February 2013)
donderdag 24 januari 2013
NATO press briefing on the deployment of Patriot Missiles to Turkey
Press briefing on the deployment of Patriot Missiles to Turkey
by NATO Spokesperson Oana Lungescu and Brigadier General Gary Deakin, Director of SHAPE Strategic Operations Center
Good afternoon. Thank you very much for coming.
As you know, Patriot batteries from Germany, the Netherlands and the United States are now only days away from becoming operational in Turkey so we thought it would be timely to have a technical briefing today to explain the sequence of events that will eventually see NATO take control of these defensive batteries to help protect Turkey’s population and territory.
Let me just remind you briefly that in response to Turkey’s request, NATO Defence Ministers decided on the 4th of December last year to augment Turkey’s air defence capabilities in order to defend the population and territory of Turkey and to contribute to the de-escalation of the crisis along the Alliance’s border.
The deployment of the Patriots will be defensive only, but it sends a very strong signal of Allied solidarity.
I am very happy to introduce to you our briefer from SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe), Brigadier Gary Deakin, who is the Director of the Strategic Operations Centre at SHAPE who will take us through this NATO effort and will explain how the batteries will be brought under NATO Command and control in the coming weeks.
The Brigadier will speak on the record, and if you have any specific technical questions on the systems, the Brigadier will explain any arrangements we have. We have got some staff officers on hand who will be able to help with answers on background after this briefing is over.
Brigadier…
Brigadier General Gary Deakin (Director of SHAPE Strategic Operations Centre): Thank you very much, Oana. Good afternoon, everybody. If I can just begin with a little bit more detail on myself. I'm obviously a British Army officer and I'm employed down in Allied Command Operations, coordinating operations at the strategic level. So when the strategic direction came from the NAC to SACEUR to deploy assets to augment Turkey air defence then the task came to my organization to make the plan.
I've got a number of experts who are with me. There are three officers in the front row here who are absolute technical experts on the detail of the systems, and so afterwards there's an opportunity... where there's a really difficult question that I can't answer, then they're ready to help out.
And my aim will be to really tell you the story as we see it right now, where we've come from and where we are at the moment, and then where we see this augmentation of Turkey's air defence going to.
And currently, it's all going according to plan which is really excellent news from our perspective.
Firstly, some context. The deployment is part of a plan that we already have. We have a standing defence plan for the air policing of NATO. And so this is not anything spectacularly new for us. The augmentation of Turkey's already robust air defence was an extra. It was within a framework of business that we already do.
We've also done this before, and indeed, The deployed to support Turkey's air defence in 1991 and 2003. So it's not... it's not new and in that way we've been able to carry out this mission quickly to provide support to the Ally as requested.
Now, we've... when the strategic direction was given to us at the beginning of December, after the Foreign Ministers meeting, SACEUR immediately set about generating the forces required and we were very fortunate to have Germany, Netherlands and the U.S. offer Patriot batteries to deploy as soon as possible to Turkey to provide this extra support. And we also stood up the NATO communications agencies to provide the CIS, the Communications Information System support to the Patriots so they could plug into the NATO Command and Control network.
So the mobilization commenced almost as soon as we got the direction. And you will have observed that the U.S. were the first to deploy assets into theatre by air, into Incirlik, which we know is the air point of disembarkation. And their initial package arrived at the beginning of January.
And then The Netherlands and Germany sailed their assets from ports in Northern Europe some two weeks ago now and as you'll be probably tracking today, they've arrived now in Iskenderun in Turkey; are unloading and unloaded and are moving out to their positions.
We expect to have an initial operating capability this weekend. That's what we're aiming at. And so it'll be confirmed at the weekend, but we're aiming for initial operating capability this weekend.
What do I mean by initial operating capability? This is where we'll have the ability... NATO will have the ability to defend some aspects of the population of what we're going to actually cover in the big picture. The first units will arrive on station. They will plug into the NATO Command and Control network and they will be then ready to defend the population. So that's what we're calling initial operating capability.
The full capability we expect to deliver... we're aiming to deliver, at the end of the month. That's our aim and that's when we'll have all the patriots in and complete. All the sustainment mechanisms in and the whole organization plugged into the NATO CIS coordinated with Turkey's air defence to provide the support... the NATO support to Turkey as requested.
And currently all that is on track.
And so The Netherlands are going to deploy to Adana. The Germans are going to deploy to Kahramanmaras—apologies for the mispronunciation—and the U.S. are going to deploy to Gaziantep. And those locations were decided in close coordination with our Turkish Allies based on the size of the population, how we could get the equipment to get the best effect. A number of factors were considered to get the best deployment options with the resources available from the nations that made the offers in this case.
So it was a very detailed process in close collaboration with our Allies to get the right lay-down of the forces that are deploying.
We estimate that once it's in place at those locations that we will provide protection against missiles for up to 3.5 million people, is our current assessment. So 3.5 million Turkish people under the protection of this missile defence capability in support of Turkey's air defence.
And I'd also emphasize again, I mentioned a couple of minutes ago about the CIS aspects. Lots of nations involved in that. There'll be NATO detatchments each location, providing the communication support, so a lot of nations involved, not just those from the contributing nations, and they'll provide that support to enable the command and control of the Patriots.
So that's where we are right now. We're just heading towards our initial operating capability, aiming to have the whole thing set up by the end of the month.
Now let me just, briefly I think, explain the capabilities of the system so you can then come back with some questions.
So a Patriot battery has got four main elements. It's a multi-function radar, which performs search identification and tracks potential targets. It's an air engagement control station and this is the only manned piece of equipment in the battery. And its responsibility is to make sure all the other systems are working and that the identification and engagement of targets is correct and in line with the procedures.
And the Patriot operators sit in this station and they're able to terminate an engagement, and control the engagement as required.
The battery then has a number of launches and this can be between four and six, depending on the mission and depending on which nation has made the contribution.
And then each missile, each launcher has a number of missiles, and again, depending on the nation, but up to 16, with a variety of different types of missiles. In this case we'll focus on destroying targets which are missiles. That is the way that this has been put together in this mission's case.
So those batteries, two in each location, as I've just described, are all connected together, so all six are together, and they're then connected directly to Air Command Ramstein in Germany. That's the operational commander, General Breedlove. And they're plugged into a Command and Control Centre there. And that Command and Control Centre is also... has situational awareness of what is happening in the region in terms of missile firings or early warning. So we're able to identify when there's some sort of missile fired that alerts the Patriot batteries, and then they can then observe the arcs that they've got in their azimuth and react accordingly if a missile is a threat to the population in that particular area that they're deployed to.
I think another point I just wish to really stress, which is really important, is the Command and Control goes to Ramstein, but there's a piece of detailed coordination into what we call the Combined Air and Operations Centre, which is in Eskisehir in Turkey. And it's there at the coordination is carried out with all the air that's going on. So to make sure that there's no risk of any accident, so that it's all very carefully controlled and coordinated.
So the air space is managed correctly. And again, this is, as I said at the beginning, this is normal business for us. There's nothing new here. We're used to this and there are procedures that are in place and it'll be correctly controlled and coordinated to make sure that there is no risk of any sort of accident.
Okay, I think that sort of covers the key points in terms of the lay down. I think hopefully I've described the... when it comes to it that the whole thing is set up and ready and we'll be ready, working very, very closely to our Turkish Allies in terms of augmenting their air defence to provide that defence to 3.5 million people. And should there be an alert on the early warning system, that will go to the Patriots and the Patriots from the nations will be ready to intercept and defend as required. And we're expecting the initial capability this weekend, that's what we're aiming at, and then we're aiming for the full capability by the end of the month.
And our current plans, and from my perspective sitting in operations, Admiral Stavridis's Operation Centre down in SHAPE, we're sort of initially planning that this will probably last for a year at least, and that's our commitment. That's what nations have said that they're prepared to commit to. Of course, there'll be decisions that may reduce that or extend it, but from our planning perspective we're planning to sustain this mission as required to augment Turkey's air defence.
If I can just clarify one really important point and that is, we're very closely integrated with the Turkish Allies in terms of the chain of command at all levels. So we have a very close relationship through each level of command, from the battery... and what I mean by that, the Patriot battery is located in an area where the Turkish military commander is going to provide him with some local support, et cetera, all the way then through to the coordination centre in the CAOC and then there are Turkish liaison officers who have gone to Air Ramstein and Air Ramstein has put liaison officers into the Turkish chain of command.
And in my own organization down in Mons, I also have liaison officers who have come from the Turkish General Staff to make sure that we've absolutely got the integration correct through all the different levels.
I think I've hopefully said enough, painted a little bit of a picture of what it looks like, where we are, and where we're going. I now stand ready to answer any questions and as I said, I've got a team to help.
Oana Lungescu (NATO Spokesperson): And as usual, please don't forget to introduce yourselves and we'll start with German Television. Just wait for the microphone Kai.
Q: I just have the question whether the whole area is now covered by the Patriots? Are there enough Patriots to cover the long borderline between Syria and Turkey? And would there... would there be the possibility to impact a No-Fly Zone if wanted with the Patriots that are at this border at the moment?
Brigadier General Gary Deakin: Okay, well, firstly the whole... Turkey's border is 900 kilometres long, so the coverage is not... will not cover the border. We're aiming at what we can with the capabilities provided, so we've got as much coverage of the population with the capabilities that nations have offered, and our assessment is that 3.5 million people in the south-western corner, southern part of Turkey over those cities and those areas that I've explained.
We don't have the capabilities to provide it extensively in the area you just described.
The capability is not being deployed at all to have anything to do with a No-Fly Zone. It's completely defensive. And it couldn't be transitioned to do so at this time. The capability is not set for that. It's not designed. The orders are not in line with that and that's what we've set out to do. It's a purely defensive mission in order to deter and hopefully deescalate and provide protection to those 3.5 million people and support our NATO Ally.
Oana Lungescu: Dutch News Agency. Over there.
Q: Sorry, it wasn't me.
Q: Hi, Robert Blumen of the Dutch Press Agency. I've got a question about initial capacity. Will there be a difference between the Dutch, German and American Patriots so that the Dutch will start, or will it be in general the initial capacity on Saturday/Sunday? You get the question?
Brigadier General Gary Deakin: Yes, yes, I understand, yes. They're very similar in terms of capacity. So the initial capability is arriving, setting up, plugging into the system, having the CIS working, being part of the whole process. That is very similar to each of the nations.
There are minor differences in terms of capabilities and going through sort of start-up procedures. But that's very, very technical and perhaps you could... you know, if you want to come back off line with the experts to clarify. But broadly it's much the same.
Q: (Inaudible...).
Brigadier General Gary Deakin: Oh no, no, no. Sorry, just to be absolutely clear. No, we currently see... I think The Netherlands will be the first to provide initial operation capability this weekend. And this is all to do with plugging in the communications technology, the site preparation, getting the sites prepared and our Turkish Allies have done a fantastic job in preparing the ground. You can imagine, you need level ground, you need shelters, you need things to put things in, and it just so happens in The Netherlands case all those things are aligning quite well. In the others it's still a little way to go to get those things completed.
Oana Lungescu: Reuters.
Q: Yes, Brigadier could you just confirm what you mean by initial operating capability? That means that the Patriot batteries, some of them, would be in place and ready to fire if necessary by this weekend, is that correct?
Brigadier General Gary Deakin: Yes. Yes, that is our aim, to have initial capability, which means we can defend with that system in place and we're aiming for this weekend. /2
by NATO Spokesperson Oana Lungescu and Brigadier General Gary Deakin, Director of SHAPE Strategic Operations Center
Good afternoon. Thank you very much for coming.
As you know, Patriot batteries from Germany, the Netherlands and the United States are now only days away from becoming operational in Turkey so we thought it would be timely to have a technical briefing today to explain the sequence of events that will eventually see NATO take control of these defensive batteries to help protect Turkey’s population and territory.
Let me just remind you briefly that in response to Turkey’s request, NATO Defence Ministers decided on the 4th of December last year to augment Turkey’s air defence capabilities in order to defend the population and territory of Turkey and to contribute to the de-escalation of the crisis along the Alliance’s border.
The deployment of the Patriots will be defensive only, but it sends a very strong signal of Allied solidarity.
I am very happy to introduce to you our briefer from SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe), Brigadier Gary Deakin, who is the Director of the Strategic Operations Centre at SHAPE who will take us through this NATO effort and will explain how the batteries will be brought under NATO Command and control in the coming weeks.
The Brigadier will speak on the record, and if you have any specific technical questions on the systems, the Brigadier will explain any arrangements we have. We have got some staff officers on hand who will be able to help with answers on background after this briefing is over.
Brigadier…
Brigadier General Gary Deakin (Director of SHAPE Strategic Operations Centre): Thank you very much, Oana. Good afternoon, everybody. If I can just begin with a little bit more detail on myself. I'm obviously a British Army officer and I'm employed down in Allied Command Operations, coordinating operations at the strategic level. So when the strategic direction came from the NAC to SACEUR to deploy assets to augment Turkey air defence then the task came to my organization to make the plan.
I've got a number of experts who are with me. There are three officers in the front row here who are absolute technical experts on the detail of the systems, and so afterwards there's an opportunity... where there's a really difficult question that I can't answer, then they're ready to help out.
And my aim will be to really tell you the story as we see it right now, where we've come from and where we are at the moment, and then where we see this augmentation of Turkey's air defence going to.
And currently, it's all going according to plan which is really excellent news from our perspective.
Firstly, some context. The deployment is part of a plan that we already have. We have a standing defence plan for the air policing of NATO. And so this is not anything spectacularly new for us. The augmentation of Turkey's already robust air defence was an extra. It was within a framework of business that we already do.
We've also done this before, and indeed, The deployed to support Turkey's air defence in 1991 and 2003. So it's not... it's not new and in that way we've been able to carry out this mission quickly to provide support to the Ally as requested.
Now, we've... when the strategic direction was given to us at the beginning of December, after the Foreign Ministers meeting, SACEUR immediately set about generating the forces required and we were very fortunate to have Germany, Netherlands and the U.S. offer Patriot batteries to deploy as soon as possible to Turkey to provide this extra support. And we also stood up the NATO communications agencies to provide the CIS, the Communications Information System support to the Patriots so they could plug into the NATO Command and Control network.
So the mobilization commenced almost as soon as we got the direction. And you will have observed that the U.S. were the first to deploy assets into theatre by air, into Incirlik, which we know is the air point of disembarkation. And their initial package arrived at the beginning of January.
And then The Netherlands and Germany sailed their assets from ports in Northern Europe some two weeks ago now and as you'll be probably tracking today, they've arrived now in Iskenderun in Turkey; are unloading and unloaded and are moving out to their positions.
We expect to have an initial operating capability this weekend. That's what we're aiming at. And so it'll be confirmed at the weekend, but we're aiming for initial operating capability this weekend.
What do I mean by initial operating capability? This is where we'll have the ability... NATO will have the ability to defend some aspects of the population of what we're going to actually cover in the big picture. The first units will arrive on station. They will plug into the NATO Command and Control network and they will be then ready to defend the population. So that's what we're calling initial operating capability.
The full capability we expect to deliver... we're aiming to deliver, at the end of the month. That's our aim and that's when we'll have all the patriots in and complete. All the sustainment mechanisms in and the whole organization plugged into the NATO CIS coordinated with Turkey's air defence to provide the support... the NATO support to Turkey as requested.
And currently all that is on track.
And so The Netherlands are going to deploy to Adana. The Germans are going to deploy to Kahramanmaras—apologies for the mispronunciation—and the U.S. are going to deploy to Gaziantep. And those locations were decided in close coordination with our Turkish Allies based on the size of the population, how we could get the equipment to get the best effect. A number of factors were considered to get the best deployment options with the resources available from the nations that made the offers in this case.
So it was a very detailed process in close collaboration with our Allies to get the right lay-down of the forces that are deploying.
We estimate that once it's in place at those locations that we will provide protection against missiles for up to 3.5 million people, is our current assessment. So 3.5 million Turkish people under the protection of this missile defence capability in support of Turkey's air defence.
And I'd also emphasize again, I mentioned a couple of minutes ago about the CIS aspects. Lots of nations involved in that. There'll be NATO detatchments each location, providing the communication support, so a lot of nations involved, not just those from the contributing nations, and they'll provide that support to enable the command and control of the Patriots.
So that's where we are right now. We're just heading towards our initial operating capability, aiming to have the whole thing set up by the end of the month.
Now let me just, briefly I think, explain the capabilities of the system so you can then come back with some questions.
So a Patriot battery has got four main elements. It's a multi-function radar, which performs search identification and tracks potential targets. It's an air engagement control station and this is the only manned piece of equipment in the battery. And its responsibility is to make sure all the other systems are working and that the identification and engagement of targets is correct and in line with the procedures.
And the Patriot operators sit in this station and they're able to terminate an engagement, and control the engagement as required.
The battery then has a number of launches and this can be between four and six, depending on the mission and depending on which nation has made the contribution.
And then each missile, each launcher has a number of missiles, and again, depending on the nation, but up to 16, with a variety of different types of missiles. In this case we'll focus on destroying targets which are missiles. That is the way that this has been put together in this mission's case.
So those batteries, two in each location, as I've just described, are all connected together, so all six are together, and they're then connected directly to Air Command Ramstein in Germany. That's the operational commander, General Breedlove. And they're plugged into a Command and Control Centre there. And that Command and Control Centre is also... has situational awareness of what is happening in the region in terms of missile firings or early warning. So we're able to identify when there's some sort of missile fired that alerts the Patriot batteries, and then they can then observe the arcs that they've got in their azimuth and react accordingly if a missile is a threat to the population in that particular area that they're deployed to.
I think another point I just wish to really stress, which is really important, is the Command and Control goes to Ramstein, but there's a piece of detailed coordination into what we call the Combined Air and Operations Centre, which is in Eskisehir in Turkey. And it's there at the coordination is carried out with all the air that's going on. So to make sure that there's no risk of any accident, so that it's all very carefully controlled and coordinated.
So the air space is managed correctly. And again, this is, as I said at the beginning, this is normal business for us. There's nothing new here. We're used to this and there are procedures that are in place and it'll be correctly controlled and coordinated to make sure that there is no risk of any sort of accident.
Okay, I think that sort of covers the key points in terms of the lay down. I think hopefully I've described the... when it comes to it that the whole thing is set up and ready and we'll be ready, working very, very closely to our Turkish Allies in terms of augmenting their air defence to provide that defence to 3.5 million people. And should there be an alert on the early warning system, that will go to the Patriots and the Patriots from the nations will be ready to intercept and defend as required. And we're expecting the initial capability this weekend, that's what we're aiming at, and then we're aiming for the full capability by the end of the month.
And our current plans, and from my perspective sitting in operations, Admiral Stavridis's Operation Centre down in SHAPE, we're sort of initially planning that this will probably last for a year at least, and that's our commitment. That's what nations have said that they're prepared to commit to. Of course, there'll be decisions that may reduce that or extend it, but from our planning perspective we're planning to sustain this mission as required to augment Turkey's air defence.
If I can just clarify one really important point and that is, we're very closely integrated with the Turkish Allies in terms of the chain of command at all levels. So we have a very close relationship through each level of command, from the battery... and what I mean by that, the Patriot battery is located in an area where the Turkish military commander is going to provide him with some local support, et cetera, all the way then through to the coordination centre in the CAOC and then there are Turkish liaison officers who have gone to Air Ramstein and Air Ramstein has put liaison officers into the Turkish chain of command.
And in my own organization down in Mons, I also have liaison officers who have come from the Turkish General Staff to make sure that we've absolutely got the integration correct through all the different levels.
I think I've hopefully said enough, painted a little bit of a picture of what it looks like, where we are, and where we're going. I now stand ready to answer any questions and as I said, I've got a team to help.
Oana Lungescu (NATO Spokesperson): And as usual, please don't forget to introduce yourselves and we'll start with German Television. Just wait for the microphone Kai.
Q: I just have the question whether the whole area is now covered by the Patriots? Are there enough Patriots to cover the long borderline between Syria and Turkey? And would there... would there be the possibility to impact a No-Fly Zone if wanted with the Patriots that are at this border at the moment?
Brigadier General Gary Deakin: Okay, well, firstly the whole... Turkey's border is 900 kilometres long, so the coverage is not... will not cover the border. We're aiming at what we can with the capabilities provided, so we've got as much coverage of the population with the capabilities that nations have offered, and our assessment is that 3.5 million people in the south-western corner, southern part of Turkey over those cities and those areas that I've explained.
We don't have the capabilities to provide it extensively in the area you just described.
The capability is not being deployed at all to have anything to do with a No-Fly Zone. It's completely defensive. And it couldn't be transitioned to do so at this time. The capability is not set for that. It's not designed. The orders are not in line with that and that's what we've set out to do. It's a purely defensive mission in order to deter and hopefully deescalate and provide protection to those 3.5 million people and support our NATO Ally.
Oana Lungescu: Dutch News Agency. Over there.
Q: Sorry, it wasn't me.
Q: Hi, Robert Blumen of the Dutch Press Agency. I've got a question about initial capacity. Will there be a difference between the Dutch, German and American Patriots so that the Dutch will start, or will it be in general the initial capacity on Saturday/Sunday? You get the question?
Brigadier General Gary Deakin: Yes, yes, I understand, yes. They're very similar in terms of capacity. So the initial capability is arriving, setting up, plugging into the system, having the CIS working, being part of the whole process. That is very similar to each of the nations.
There are minor differences in terms of capabilities and going through sort of start-up procedures. But that's very, very technical and perhaps you could... you know, if you want to come back off line with the experts to clarify. But broadly it's much the same.
Q: (Inaudible...).
Brigadier General Gary Deakin: Oh no, no, no. Sorry, just to be absolutely clear. No, we currently see... I think The Netherlands will be the first to provide initial operation capability this weekend. And this is all to do with plugging in the communications technology, the site preparation, getting the sites prepared and our Turkish Allies have done a fantastic job in preparing the ground. You can imagine, you need level ground, you need shelters, you need things to put things in, and it just so happens in The Netherlands case all those things are aligning quite well. In the others it's still a little way to go to get those things completed.
Oana Lungescu: Reuters.
Q: Yes, Brigadier could you just confirm what you mean by initial operating capability? That means that the Patriot batteries, some of them, would be in place and ready to fire if necessary by this weekend, is that correct?
Brigadier General Gary Deakin: Yes. Yes, that is our aim, to have initial capability, which means we can defend with that system in place and we're aiming for this weekend. /2
zaterdag 22 december 2012
NATO Spokesperson’s statement on the deployment of Patriot missiles to Turkey
The three NATO Allies which have agreed to provide Patriot missiles to augment Turkey’s air defences – Germany, the Netherlands and the United States - have agreed on the locations where the batteries will be deployed.
This was decided jointly with Turkey as the host nation and in close coordination with the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, following a military assessment by the Allies involved and NATO’s Military Authorities. Germany, the Netherlands and the United States have offered to provide two Patriot batteries each. Germany will deploy its batteries to Kahramanmaras, the Netherlands will deploy its batteries to Adana, and the United States will deploy its batteries to Gaziantep.
The deployment, which will take place over the next few weeks, will be defensive only. It will not support a no-fly zone or any offensive operation. Its aim is to deter any threats to Turkey, to defend Turkey’s population and territory and to de-escalate the crisis on NATO’s south-eastern border.
(NATO, 22 December 2012)
This was decided jointly with Turkey as the host nation and in close coordination with the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, following a military assessment by the Allies involved and NATO’s Military Authorities. Germany, the Netherlands and the United States have offered to provide two Patriot batteries each. Germany will deploy its batteries to Kahramanmaras, the Netherlands will deploy its batteries to Adana, and the United States will deploy its batteries to Gaziantep.
The deployment, which will take place over the next few weeks, will be defensive only. It will not support a no-fly zone or any offensive operation. Its aim is to deter any threats to Turkey, to defend Turkey’s population and territory and to de-escalate the crisis on NATO’s south-eastern border.
(NATO, 22 December 2012)
maandag 10 december 2012
Netherlands sends Patriot units to Turkey (Gov't news release)
The Cabinet has decided to send two Dutch Patriot units to Turkey to help protect the Netherlands’ NATO ally from possible attacks from Syria. The House of Representatives has been informed of the decision.
The Dutch Patriot missile defence systems will be deployed to protect Turkey’s territory and people. Their exact location will be decided in consultation with Turkey, the US and Germany. Deployment will in principle last a year, be purely defensive and not be used in support of a no-fly zone or offensive operation. No more than 360 military personnel will be posted abroad for the deployment. NATO acceded earlier this week to the Turkish government’s request for assistance.
The Netherlands, Germany and the US are the only NATO countries with Patriots that meet the required standard. The Patriot units have been deployed twice on previous occasions on NATO’s southern flank and once in Israel. During the Gulf War in 1991 Patriot systems protected the cities of Diyarbakir in Turkey and Jerusalem in Israel against possible Iraqi SCUD missile attacks. During the 2003 Gulf War the Patriots once more provided protection against possible Iraqi SCUD missile attacks for the area around the Turkish cities of Diyarbakir and Batman.
On 21 November the Turkish government submitted a request to NATO for the deployment of Patriot systems to protect Turkey’s territory and people from possible attacks from Syria. NATO’s 28 foreign ministers decided in Brussels on 4 December to strengthen the Turkish air defence capabilities within the existing NATO framework, to the extent permitted by national decision-making procedures.
The Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Turkey and the allies with Patriot systems (the Netherlands, the US and Germany) explored the feasibility and advisability of deploying them. On the basis of the outcome of these investigations, the Dutch government has decided to help honour the Turkish request. The Netherlands shares the Turkish government’s concerns, and is responding to the Turkish request as an ally in a spirit of solidarity, pursuant to the right of collective self-defence laid down in article 51 of the UN Charter. The Dutch deployment of Patriot systems is aimed at protecting the territory and people of the Netherlands’ NATO ally and helping de-escalate the crisis along the Alliance’s southern borders.
(Government.nl, 10 December 2012)
Note: This news release of the Dutch government fails to mention crucial elements contained in its Letter to Parliament of 7 December 2012 ('Kamerbrief ontplooiing van Patriot-systemen in Turkije'). First of all: the government wrote that the Netherlands and its two partners in this deployment will each protect 'an urban area' (read: city) using two Patriot batteries per city. Secondly, the Letter stresses that the Patriot units will be deployed at locations away from the Turkish-Syrian border, to the effect that: 'Het effectieve bereik van de Nederlandse Patriot-raketten is beperkt tot Turks grondgebied.' (The effective range of the Dutch Patriot missiles is limited to Turkish territory). - HdV
The Dutch Patriot missile defence systems will be deployed to protect Turkey’s territory and people. Their exact location will be decided in consultation with Turkey, the US and Germany. Deployment will in principle last a year, be purely defensive and not be used in support of a no-fly zone or offensive operation. No more than 360 military personnel will be posted abroad for the deployment. NATO acceded earlier this week to the Turkish government’s request for assistance.
The Netherlands, Germany and the US are the only NATO countries with Patriots that meet the required standard. The Patriot units have been deployed twice on previous occasions on NATO’s southern flank and once in Israel. During the Gulf War in 1991 Patriot systems protected the cities of Diyarbakir in Turkey and Jerusalem in Israel against possible Iraqi SCUD missile attacks. During the 2003 Gulf War the Patriots once more provided protection against possible Iraqi SCUD missile attacks for the area around the Turkish cities of Diyarbakir and Batman.
On 21 November the Turkish government submitted a request to NATO for the deployment of Patriot systems to protect Turkey’s territory and people from possible attacks from Syria. NATO’s 28 foreign ministers decided in Brussels on 4 December to strengthen the Turkish air defence capabilities within the existing NATO framework, to the extent permitted by national decision-making procedures.
The Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Turkey and the allies with Patriot systems (the Netherlands, the US and Germany) explored the feasibility and advisability of deploying them. On the basis of the outcome of these investigations, the Dutch government has decided to help honour the Turkish request. The Netherlands shares the Turkish government’s concerns, and is responding to the Turkish request as an ally in a spirit of solidarity, pursuant to the right of collective self-defence laid down in article 51 of the UN Charter. The Dutch deployment of Patriot systems is aimed at protecting the territory and people of the Netherlands’ NATO ally and helping de-escalate the crisis along the Alliance’s southern borders.
(Government.nl, 10 December 2012)
Note: This news release of the Dutch government fails to mention crucial elements contained in its Letter to Parliament of 7 December 2012 ('Kamerbrief ontplooiing van Patriot-systemen in Turkije'). First of all: the government wrote that the Netherlands and its two partners in this deployment will each protect 'an urban area' (read: city) using two Patriot batteries per city. Secondly, the Letter stresses that the Patriot units will be deployed at locations away from the Turkish-Syrian border, to the effect that: 'Het effectieve bereik van de Nederlandse Patriot-raketten is beperkt tot Turks grondgebied.' (The effective range of the Dutch Patriot missiles is limited to Turkish territory). - HdV
dinsdag 4 december 2012
NATO foreign ministers’ statement on Patriot deployment to Turkey
The situation along NATO’s south-eastern border and the repeated violations of Turkey’s territory raise grave concern. As the North Atlantic Council made clear on June 26 and October 3, we stand with Turkey in the spirit of strong solidarity. We, the NATO foreign ministers, declare our determination to deter threats to and defend Turkey.
In response to Turkey’s request, NATO has decided to augment Turkey’s air defence capabilities in order to defend the population and territory of Turkey and contribute to the de-escalation of the crisis along the Alliance’s border. We have agreed to do so within the framework of the NATO integrated air defence system in order to preserve, protect and enhance the ability to defend the population and territory of Turkey in accordance with the NATO standing defence plan.
We welcome the intention of Germany, the Netherlands and the United States to provide Patriot missile batteries, subject to their respective national procedures. These systems will be under the operational command of the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). Any deployment will be defensive only. It will in no way support a no-fly zone or any offensive operation.
NATO’s ultimate task is the protection and defence of our members. Today, we underline once again our steadfast commitment to the security of this Alliance, and our full solidarity and resolve to protect our populations and territories.
We express our appreciation to the Turkish people and authorities for assisting Syrian citizens who found refuge in Turkey. We call for an end to violence in Syria, which represents a serious threat to stability and security in the region. We fully support the efforts of the international community to find a peaceful solution.
(NATO, 4 December 2012)
In response to Turkey’s request, NATO has decided to augment Turkey’s air defence capabilities in order to defend the population and territory of Turkey and contribute to the de-escalation of the crisis along the Alliance’s border. We have agreed to do so within the framework of the NATO integrated air defence system in order to preserve, protect and enhance the ability to defend the population and territory of Turkey in accordance with the NATO standing defence plan.
We welcome the intention of Germany, the Netherlands and the United States to provide Patriot missile batteries, subject to their respective national procedures. These systems will be under the operational command of the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). Any deployment will be defensive only. It will in no way support a no-fly zone or any offensive operation.
NATO’s ultimate task is the protection and defence of our members. Today, we underline once again our steadfast commitment to the security of this Alliance, and our full solidarity and resolve to protect our populations and territories.
We express our appreciation to the Turkish people and authorities for assisting Syrian citizens who found refuge in Turkey. We call for an end to violence in Syria, which represents a serious threat to stability and security in the region. We fully support the efforts of the international community to find a peaceful solution.
(NATO, 4 December 2012)
vrijdag 20 juli 2012
Defence Ministry Wants Closer Ties with German Army
The Dutch defence ministry wants to expand and deepen the ties with the German armed forces.
Commander of the Armed Forces General Tom Middendorp spoke this week with his German counterpart Wieker. "International partnership is of vital importance for the success of Defence. It is not a matter of choice, but pure necessity. The Netherlands cannot do everything alone", said Middendorp, who recently succeeded General Peter van Uhm as Chief of Defence.
There is already close collaboration in the military area between the Netherlands and Germany. The two countries work together in the First German-Dutch Army Corps. According to Middendorp, more partnership in ground-air defence, and in the purchase and operation of unmanned planes are among moves being considered.
According to NRC Handelsblad, a Dutch tank is being used in Saudi Arabia to promote a weapons deal between Germany and the Arabs. The Leopard 2A6 fighter tank has been upgraded by the original manufacturer, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW), to a 2A7+ and exported to Saudi Arabia for a shooting test in the desert.
The newspaper termed the loan of the tank remarkable as the Netherlands has not given any permits for weapons trade with Saudi Arabia since last year. The Germans hope to be able to sell tanks to the oil state for billions.
(NISNews, 20 July 2012)
Commander of the Armed Forces General Tom Middendorp spoke this week with his German counterpart Wieker. "International partnership is of vital importance for the success of Defence. It is not a matter of choice, but pure necessity. The Netherlands cannot do everything alone", said Middendorp, who recently succeeded General Peter van Uhm as Chief of Defence.
There is already close collaboration in the military area between the Netherlands and Germany. The two countries work together in the First German-Dutch Army Corps. According to Middendorp, more partnership in ground-air defence, and in the purchase and operation of unmanned planes are among moves being considered.
According to NRC Handelsblad, a Dutch tank is being used in Saudi Arabia to promote a weapons deal between Germany and the Arabs. The Leopard 2A6 fighter tank has been upgraded by the original manufacturer, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW), to a 2A7+ and exported to Saudi Arabia for a shooting test in the desert.
The newspaper termed the loan of the tank remarkable as the Netherlands has not given any permits for weapons trade with Saudi Arabia since last year. The Germans hope to be able to sell tanks to the oil state for billions.
(NISNews, 20 July 2012)
dinsdag 3 juli 2012
Indonesia pulls out of Dutch tanks deal
Indonesia said Tuesday it had pulled out of a $280 million deal to buy 100 Leopard battle tanks from the Netherlands after waiting several months for the Dutch parliament to approve the sale.
The Netherlands' minority government planned to sell the tanks to raise money for unmanned drones, but the majority of parties in parliament opposed the deal because of Jakarta's poor human rights record, Dutch media reported.
"We are disappointed because we were serious in wanting to buy the Dutch tanks," defence ministry spokesman Hartind Asrin told.
"We had gone to the warehouse to look at them and they were good. The price was also right, at around $280 million."
"The Dutch government was agreeable to the deal, but the Dutch parliament kept us waiting. There was still no approval after eight to nine months of waiting, so last week we called off the deal," he said.
Indonesia -- much of which was a Dutch colony until 1945 -- would now buy the 100 tanks from Germany for around the same price, he added. "Around 15 units are expected to arrive in Indonesia by October this year," Asrin said.
The concerns over Indonesia's rights record stem from the rule of then-dictator Suharto in the 1990s, when special forces were accused of committing abuses in East Timor and Aceh.
Indonesian troops have also been accused of rights violations as they seek to snuff out support for a low-level separatist insurgency in the country's far-flung Papua province.
Indonesia has earmarked 99 trillion rupiah ($10.6 billion) from 2010 to 2014 to modernise its defense systems, according to local media reports quoting National Development Planning Minister Armida Alisjahbana.
One third of the budget has been set aside for maintenance with the remaining two thirds for purchasing defense systems and weapons, she was quoted as saying.
(AFP/Times of Oman, 3 July 2012)
The Netherlands' minority government planned to sell the tanks to raise money for unmanned drones, but the majority of parties in parliament opposed the deal because of Jakarta's poor human rights record, Dutch media reported.
"We are disappointed because we were serious in wanting to buy the Dutch tanks," defence ministry spokesman Hartind Asrin told.
"We had gone to the warehouse to look at them and they were good. The price was also right, at around $280 million."
"The Dutch government was agreeable to the deal, but the Dutch parliament kept us waiting. There was still no approval after eight to nine months of waiting, so last week we called off the deal," he said.
.jpg) |
| Dutch Leopard 2A6 during an amphibious operation on the island of Curaçao, 2006 (photo: MoD, the Netherlands) |
Indonesia -- much of which was a Dutch colony until 1945 -- would now buy the 100 tanks from Germany for around the same price, he added. "Around 15 units are expected to arrive in Indonesia by October this year," Asrin said.
The concerns over Indonesia's rights record stem from the rule of then-dictator Suharto in the 1990s, when special forces were accused of committing abuses in East Timor and Aceh.
Indonesian troops have also been accused of rights violations as they seek to snuff out support for a low-level separatist insurgency in the country's far-flung Papua province.
Indonesia has earmarked 99 trillion rupiah ($10.6 billion) from 2010 to 2014 to modernise its defense systems, according to local media reports quoting National Development Planning Minister Armida Alisjahbana.
One third of the budget has been set aside for maintenance with the remaining two thirds for purchasing defense systems and weapons, she was quoted as saying.
(AFP/Times of Oman, 3 July 2012)
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