NATO under pressure as allies cut defence costs
Baku, April 11 (AZERTAC). As defence budgets are slashed in dire financial times, governments increasingly rely on alliances and cooperation with their partners. Instead of going solo, militaries pool resources to increase efficiency.
The financial crisis has put pressure on governments all over the world to drastically cut down expenses. What started five years ago now has started to affect defence budgets. Germany wants to save some 8 billion euros ($10.4 billion) by 2015 by slashing its military budget - and other countries in Europe and within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) see hefty cuts coming their way as well.
Security policymakers and experts now hope to increase efficiency - countries should join forces instead of separately carrying out tasks. Defense policy guidelines published by German Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere in 2011 stated that if security preparedness had to be handled with narrow means, this calls for a more efficient adjustment of the alliances. In 2012, NATO started its "Smart Defence" project - the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) calls for the same thing naming it "pooling and "sharing."
Pressure on Europe increases even more: Europeans will have to take care of their own defence even more in the future as the US continues to direct more of its attention to the Pacific Rim.
Airplanes under German Navy command are being pooled (Maritime Patrol Aircraft), and European strategic air transport is organized via the European Air Transport Command (EATC). During the Mali mission, EATC for instance refuelled French Air Force jets.
Despite these pooling measures, Germany doesn't really save a lot of money at the moment, because it continues to have the full skill set needed at its disposal. Cutting down expenses doesn't really fit the German idea of NATO and CFSP.
Instead of strategic visions, security policy has increasingly become dominated by financial restrictions, Mölling added. He is very sceptical of this change towards this more economic approach to defence.
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