Future NATO Force Structures - Increased Degree of Multinationality? German Experiences and Perspectives

Abstract

Abstract : In the Cold War era, massive armed forces were required, especially in Central Europe, to counterbalance the Warsaw Pact. As a result of the end of the Cold War, the collapse of the Warsaw Pact and the reunification of Germany, the security situation has changed dramatically. The nations were able to reduce their armed forces considerably, thus reaping the 'peace dividend'. However, the massive threat has been replaced by other risks which require the nations to provide flexible and mobile forces suited for a broad spectrum of operations. The employment of armed forces in the 21st century will nearly always require multinational efforts to keep or restore the peace in crisis areas. In 1990/91, The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) responded to this requirement by setting up several multinational corps in Central Europe comprising reaction forces, main defense forces and backup reaction forces. The corresponding decisions were influenced both by political and by military aspects. Although the composition of these multinational units has been changed several times, the principle of multinationality has become firmly established as a basis for operations of modem armed forces. Germany has supported and pushed the idea of multinational structures from the very beginning. In some cases, multinational units were activated for political rather than for military reasons with a view to visibly demonstrating the nations' will to cooperate. The military effectiveness of these units had yet to be demonstrated. The experiences until now allow to evaluate the political and military value of multinational forces and to draw conclusions for the future. This paper deals with the question of to what extent the principle of multinationality should drive the degree of integration of future force structures.