(Kabul; 10-03; p.4)

In respect to small numbers the following should be said: deployments of soldiers in AWACS-planes consist of perhaps a dozen soldiers and they don’t even carry weapons while on duty.
– Nevertheless their deployment can be decisive; remember the controversy about the participation of German soldiers in air-surveillance over Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1994. Not even mentioned need be officers that "only" participate in mission-planning in some headquarters ...

In respect to the kind of mission: alleged, a formerly peaceful mission suddenly requires the use of weapons – does the Bundestag then decide in a matter of minutes or do the soldiers retreat?
Even if there was enough time for a parliament’s decision: which effect has it on soldiers, when a government – or a small panel of the Bundestag – firstly decides their deployment, but parliament as a whole orders them back again?

Sometimes one hears also the "experts" reason: not every MP does work on foreign policy and security issues, thus a decision ought be delegated to MPs with proven knowledge.
– This argument is based on a highly questionable position: the plight to consider the well-being of soldiers thus should be passed on to some "experts". Against that, it has to be stated that every MP had better be conscious about his responsibility in especially this sensible field and that a license for passing it is everything but desirable.

 

Thus it remains to be said that every decision about the out-of-area deployment of German armed forces is a political one and subsequently has to be made by MPs. All down-sizing of the circle of decision-makers would conjure up highly questionable consequences.

(end of article)