Germany is, for the first time, sending troops to Australia as part of joint drills with about 30,000 service members from 12 other nations, underlining Berlin’s increased focus on the Indo-Pacific region amid rising tensions with China.
In recent years, Germany has had a greater military presence in the Indo-Pacific region, even as this means walking a tightrope between its security and economic interests.
“It is a region of extremely high importance for us in Germany. as well as for the European Union due to the economic interdependencies,” German Army Chief Lieutenant General Alfons Mais said in an interview published yesterday, hours before the first German troops were to leave for Australia.
Photo: Reuters
China is Berlin’s most important trading partner, and 40 percent of Europe’s foreign trade flows through the South China Sea, a waterway that is a focal point for territorial disputes in the Indo-Pacific region.
In 2021, a German warship sailed into the South China Sea for the first time in almost 20 years. Last year, Berlin sent 13 military aircraft to joint exercises in Australia, the air force’s largest peacetime deployment.
Mais said up to 240 German soldiers, among them 170 paratroopers and 40 marines, are to take part in the Talisman Sabre exercise from Saturday next week to Aug. 4, the largest drills between Australia and the US, which are held biannually.
The Germans are to train in jungle warfare and landing operations alongside soldiers from countries such as Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, France and Britain.
“We aim to demonstrate that we are reliable and capable partners that contribute to stabilizing the rules-based order in the region,” Mais said.
When asked what message the first deployment of German troops to Australia was meant to send to China, he said Berlin did not aim to antagonize anybody.
“It generally makes sense to get to know the perspective others have upon the world,” he said, adding that the current security challenges were much less clear-cut than before 1990.
“The Cold War was easy, it was a bipolar world. Today, we can no longer focus on Europe only... We have to position ourselves much more broadly,” he said.
Mais plans to visit the German troops in Australia and a Rheinmetall plant assembling Boxer armored transport vehicles for both armies in the middle of this month, before going on to Japan and Singapore.
“Japan is a partner that holds a lot of potential for a deepening of our bilateral military cooperation,” he said.
As for Talisman Sabre, the German troops already have orders to return to Australia for the next exercise in 2025.
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