With Dictators, Headed for War
BERLIN/ABU DHABI (Own report) - The German Bundeswehr is intensifying its combat exercises with dictatorships on the Arabian Peninsular. The German Air Force just concluded, at the end of the year, two major training maneuvers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), each exercising joint combat operations. Participating alongside Emirati troops were also troops from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and NATO countries. One of these maneuvers was organized around an explicitly "fictious Gulf region crisis scenario" in which Germany must rush to the "aide of a friendly state." The only plausible concretization of this scenario would be a war against Iran, where NATO and the dictatorships at the Gulf would be fighting on the same side. The exercises were not only aimed at training for multi-national combat. They also aided in training Emirati troops, which even though equipped with the most modern combat material, have little practical capabilities. The German Air Force casually introduced their Emirati hosts to the Eurofighter, which Berlin seeks to export to that country. Berlin has been exporting arms worth billions to the dictatorships on the Arabian Peninsular, for the hegemonic struggle against Iran. This military cooperation began during the Schröder/Fischer government.
Alliance Operations
The German Air Force reported that it concluded the "Common Sky 2012" maneuver in December in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Nearly forty German soldiers, and just as many Emirati, had participated. The participating German troops were mainly from the Tactical Air Command and Control Service detachment stationed in Kalkar, whose activities are focused on "the development and operation of a (...) headquarters," in which soldiers from several nations can take over "command of multinational Air Force combat operations."[1] Exactly this was exercised in the "Common Sky 2012" maneuvers, from December 9, - 20, 2012, with troops of the Emirati Air Force, who, according to the Bundeswehr, were mostly young and "often still inexperienced," but very "receptive to new knowledge."[2] As a matter of fact, it has long been rumored that the armed forces of the Gulf dictatorships, including the Emirati military, are equipped with the most modern weaponry, but that their soldiers have only limited capability. German-Emirati combat maneuvers have always been aimed at trying to correct this imbalance.
War in the Persian Gulf
The strategic objective can be gleaned from the official scenario for the "Common Sky 2012" maneuvers. According to the scenario, "in the Gulf region" a "friendly nation (...) is attacked." Germany - "in the scenario designated as 'Whiteland'" - rushes "to the rescue."[3] "The exercise focuses" on "the planning and command of aerial operations" against the aggressor - Germany and the Emirates' common enemy. Given the fact that Germany and the dictatorships on the Arabian Peninsular are allies, the only concrete allusion to be drawn from this scenario, is a common war against Iran - a western option for years.[4] German-Emirati maneuvers have also been going on for years. "Already in 2009," the Bundeswehr reports, "the German Air Force had carried out similar exercises with its Emirati counterpart."[5]
The German-Emirati Military Pact
The German-Emirati military cooperation was intensified at a time when tensions with Iran escalated - following the war on Iraq. In April 2004, the governments of Germany and the Emirates announced a "Strategic Partnership," which was made more concrete in terms of military policy, with a special "cooperation agreement in the military sector," signed April 24, 2005. Since then, according to the German embassy in Abu Dhabi, "Bundeswehr support in training, the exchange of delegations of specialists and carrying out joint maneuvers both in Germany and in the UAE" are the "focus" of the cooperation between the two countries' militaries. Already in 2005 - the same year the Emirates joined NATO's Istanbul Cooperation Initiative - the Air Force, according to the embassy, strengthened the strategic partnership with a letter of intent.[6] This letter is also the basis for participation of German soldiers in training exercises at the Emirati Air Force's very modern "Air Warfare Center." The German Air Force loves this facility, not least of all because there are hardly limitations on low-level flying and risky operations in the Emirates, and it provides authentic conditions for desert operations in the Gulf region.
Air Attacks
The Air Force reports that, in the Emirates, it concluded not only the "Common Sky 2012" exercises in December, but a second training program as well, the Advanced Tactical Leadership Course, from November 18 - December 13, at the 'Air Warfare Center.[7] In the "Common Sky 2012", mainly the military command level was being trained, while the Advanced Tactical Leadership Course focused on the execution of concrete air combat operations. These, the Air Force explains, are "planned by the participants during the course, then put into practice, and exercised." About 200 German soldiers from the fighter-bomber squadron 31 "Boelcke" had taken part, who, for the first time could test the Eurofighter under desert conditions. Soldiers from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and NATO members Great Britain and the United States were also participating. The exercises were also aimed at learning to carry out common combat missions with the armed forces of various nations using different types of weapons. The fighter-bomber squadron 31 "Boelcke" had already participated in this exercise - which takes place at regular intervals - in 2008, the Air Force reported. This confirms how systematically NATO's wars are being prepared together with the dictatorships at the Gulf.
Top Customers
The fact that the Eurofighter was used during the Advanced Tactical Leadership Course and could be demonstrated to the Emirati hosts is of particular significance. For quite some time, Berlin has been strenuously trying to convince the Emirates to buy a larger quantity of these fighter-bombers. This would bring new profits to the plane-producing consortium, of which Germany is a shareholder. According to the business press, "new Eurofighter contracts would also bring hope for the future following the currently planned termination of production of these fighter planes - 2016/17."[8] During his mid-June visit to Abu Dhabi, German Defense Minister, Thomas de Maizière, made a plea for the Emirates buying around sixty Eurofighters for their Air Force. Of course, the Eurofighter could then be used in the war, the German Air Force has regularly been exercising for with the Emirates along with other Arabian Peninsular dictatorships and NATO members. In principle, this also holds true for all other weapons Germany has sold to the dictatorships at the Gulf, since the Schröder/Fischer government. The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, both allies of the west and enemies of Iran, who are among the most repressive countries in the world, have become the German gunsmiths' top customers. (german-foreign-policy.com reported.[9])
[1] Der Auftrag; www.luftwaffe.de
[2] Common Sky 2012; www.luftwaffe.de 13.12.2012
[3] Positive Bilanz nach elf Tagen am arabischen Golf; www.luftwaffe.de 20.12.2012
[4] see also Hegemonic Conflict at the Gulf, Kampf der Titanen and Die gemeinsame Front gegen Iran
[5] Common Sky 2012; www.luftwaffe.de 13.12.2012. See also German Arab Maneuvers
[6] Sicherheits- und militärpolitische Zusammenarbeit; www.abu-dhabi.diplo.de
[7] EF-Premiere in der Wüste Teil II; www.luftwaffe.de 10.12.2012
[8] Eurofighter hofft auf weitere Aufträge vom Golf; www.capital.de 21.12.2012
[9] see also Stabile Conditions, Hegemonic Conflict at the Gulf (II), The Purpose of Arms Exports and Trustworthy Partners
