German General Staff
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German General Staff
The Times - September 05, 2002
Germany reinstates banned general staff
From Roger Boyes in Berlin
GERMANY is to revive its military General Staff, an institution banned after both world wars because of the part it played in planning invasions. The move — seen as a boost for the independence of the army — is prompting concern among anti-war activists who are already nervous because of the prospects of a military strike against Iraq.
The decision, announced quietly by the new Defence Minister, Peter Struck, stirs ghosts of the past...............
The new General Staff is to go under a different name — the Command Staff of the Armed Forces — and its chief, General Wolfgang Schneiderhahn, is to retain the harmless-sounding title of General Inspector. The aim is clear: full authority for military planning will pass to senior officers rather than to the civilian Minister of Defence. Previously chiefs of the army, air force and navy responded only to orders from the minister: now they have a general issuing commands. One side-effect will be that generals can lobby more effectively for higher spending..............
Germany has been steadily rehabilitating its original General Staff officers. Marble statues of two Prussian military reformers were returned to their plinths last week after decades in storage. Even this minor rehabilitation has stirred some unease. The generals played a big role in defeating Napoleon and French diplomats are beginning to wonder why anti-French heroes should again be in vogue in Berlin.
Germany’s neighbours have overwhelmingly negative sentiments about the institution of the General Staff. It is hard in France or Austria, for example, to hear a good word about Count Helmuth von Moltke, Chief of General Staff during Germany’s wars of unification. “War is part of God’s order,” he wrote. “Without war, the world would stagnate and lose itself in materialism.”
Herr Struck, the Defence Minister, however, emphasises that the General Staff is being brought back into life in a firmly democratic context. The changes were considered essential after Germany’s military role was upgraded in the Kosovo crisis. This forced a rethink: a conventional army needed a conventional chain of command. Other Nato armies have some form of general staff, and it was time for Germany to rid itself of the taboo. “It is a step towards more professionalism rather than more militarism,” said a defence ministry official.
Germany reinstates banned general staff
From Roger Boyes in Berlin
GERMANY is to revive its military General Staff, an institution banned after both world wars because of the part it played in planning invasions. The move — seen as a boost for the independence of the army — is prompting concern among anti-war activists who are already nervous because of the prospects of a military strike against Iraq.
The decision, announced quietly by the new Defence Minister, Peter Struck, stirs ghosts of the past...............
The new General Staff is to go under a different name — the Command Staff of the Armed Forces — and its chief, General Wolfgang Schneiderhahn, is to retain the harmless-sounding title of General Inspector. The aim is clear: full authority for military planning will pass to senior officers rather than to the civilian Minister of Defence. Previously chiefs of the army, air force and navy responded only to orders from the minister: now they have a general issuing commands. One side-effect will be that generals can lobby more effectively for higher spending..............
Germany has been steadily rehabilitating its original General Staff officers. Marble statues of two Prussian military reformers were returned to their plinths last week after decades in storage. Even this minor rehabilitation has stirred some unease. The generals played a big role in defeating Napoleon and French diplomats are beginning to wonder why anti-French heroes should again be in vogue in Berlin.
Germany’s neighbours have overwhelmingly negative sentiments about the institution of the General Staff. It is hard in France or Austria, for example, to hear a good word about Count Helmuth von Moltke, Chief of General Staff during Germany’s wars of unification. “War is part of God’s order,” he wrote. “Without war, the world would stagnate and lose itself in materialism.”
Herr Struck, the Defence Minister, however, emphasises that the General Staff is being brought back into life in a firmly democratic context. The changes were considered essential after Germany’s military role was upgraded in the Kosovo crisis. This forced a rethink: a conventional army needed a conventional chain of command. Other Nato armies have some form of general staff, and it was time for Germany to rid itself of the taboo. “It is a step towards more professionalism rather than more militarism,” said a defence ministry official.
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Any nation that managed to start two world wars in one century needs to be watched carefully.
Once the economic giant of Europe, Germany has recently been hit by the global economic slowdown, with rising unemployment and low growth. Racist violence is on the increase and the authorities are dealing with resurgent and violent far-right wing groups, which are particularly strong in the east.
Of course, Germany does need an effective high command, if it is to play its full part in NATO and the average German views any resurgence of the far-right with disgust.
Once the economic giant of Europe, Germany has recently been hit by the global economic slowdown, with rising unemployment and low growth. Racist violence is on the increase and the authorities are dealing with resurgent and violent far-right wing groups, which are particularly strong in the east.
Of course, Germany does need an effective high command, if it is to play its full part in NATO and the average German views any resurgence of the far-right with disgust.
