Flotilla Admiral Axel Schulz is Commander of Flotilla 2 and Commander Task Group 500.01 – Indo-Pacific Deployment (IPD) with the frigate “Baden-Württemberg” and the task group provider “Frankfurt am Main”. A conversation about the necessity of exercises on the other side of the world, the Bundeswehr’s acute personnel requirements and important lessons learned through cooperation with international navies.
Admiral, a few days ago, one of the largest maritime exercises in the world began with RIMPAC. The exercise is taking place in waters where German ships would not normally be deployed. Why is the German Navy(-> current news about the German armed forces) nevertheless taking part in the exercise?
A cheerful “Aloha”, as they say in Hawaii. We are currently in the US Navy training area with the frigate “Baden-Württemberg” and the task force provider “Frankfurt am Main” (-> current news about the US armed forces) off Hawaii and are currently practicing all facets of multidimensional naval warfare with allied nations as well as international partners and friends. The US-led exercise “Rim of the Pacific” or RIMPAC for short takes place every two years and we have the privilege of being able to take part in the world’s largest naval maneuver on our defense policy circumnavigation of the globe. The German Navy has often been a guest here with specialists such as mine divers or ship’s command, but not as prominently with ships or with an entire unit as this year.
It is of course no coincidence that this exercise was embedded in the German Navy’s second Indo-Pacific deployment. In 2020, the German Federal Government set itself a framework for cooperation with our partners in the region with the “Indo-Pacific Guidelines of the Federal Government”. It is about flying the flag and demonstrating on the ground that Germany stands by its international partners and friends, in particular our largest and most important ally, the USA, for the freedom of the sea lanes and compliance with international law in the region. And this is precisely what we can demonstrate here in this international environment in the middle of the Pacific.
“It’s about flying the flag and demonstrating on the ground that Germany is standing up for the freedom of the sea lanes and compliance with international law in the region alongside its international partners and friends, especially our largest and most important ally, the USA.”
What exactly is practiced?
RIMPAC does not differ significantly from other major naval exercises, except in terms of size. Thanks to the huge exercise area, which is rarely used by civilian or recreational shipping, we have absolutely ideal conditions here to operate with 40 ships, three submarines and a large number of combat aircraft and helicopters. After an intensive port phase, which served to prepare the participants for the exercise, we are now at sea and practicing multidimensional naval warfare. The program includes firing exercises from missiles to artillery, anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-aircraft warfare (AAW), joint naval exercises, but also internal combat, such as fire and leak defence. In this “Force Integration Phase”, the so-called FIT phase, the units are to “grow together”, practise operational cooperation within the unit and thus increase their operational capability. This phase follows a fairly complex schedule in which all participating units have to be taken into account and coordinated. Then we all go into a tactical scenario together, the so-called freeplay phase, and have to prove that we can carry out the mission with our unit in a multi-layered operational scenario and ultimately succeed. https://militaeraktuell.at/katzen-jaegerkompanie-bundesheer-hochfilzen/
What lessons do you hope to learn, especially in view of the cooperation with almost 30 other navies worldwide?
With participants from the US Navy, the Netherlands, Canada and France, we are meeting old acquaintances. Partners from Indonesia or Mexico, Peru, Brunei and Chile are relatively new and very exciting for us in terms of cooperation. But thanks to the already very strong mutual understanding among naval personnel and the proven NATO standards, which are also applied by friendly navies outside the alliance, a professional basis was quickly found. We are currently experiencing a great international naval family here. This is a great bonding experience for all members of my unit, even outside of operational experience – my men and women are constantly exchanging coins and patches with their international comrades.
Like almost all other Western armies, the Bundeswehr is struggling with a shortage of personnel and this does not stop at the ships’ crews. To what extent does this make it difficult to deploy the ships, but also to participate in an exercise on the other side of the world, for which the two deployed ships are underway for months?
My inspector, Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack, puts it in a nutshell: “We are regionally routed, but globally committed”. Of course, with the limited resources we have, our focus is on Northern Europe. And this is especially true since we have had to experience a terrible war in Europe (-> current news from the Ukraine war). Irrespective of this, we are of course ultimately also an instrument of politics or defense diplomacy and want to demonstrate our commitment to “rules-based international order” and the freedom of sea and trade routes to our friends in the region through our presence. We deepen cooperation with our partners through joint exercises and at the same time increase our own operational capability. Above all, however, we are showing that despite the tense situation in Europe, we are not losing sight of our friends in the Pacific. With the Indo-Pacific Deployment, we as the German Navy are demonstrating that we are a reliable political instrument that can be deployed worldwide.
Finally, a look into the future: Does the Bundeswehr, and in particular the German Navy, intend to participate more often and more intensively in international exercises in the future?
International exercises are deeply rooted in our DNA, even in the deepest peace, and have been for decades. The German Navy has always been firmly embedded in the Alliance, especially in the Northern Flank region. When it comes to the presence in the Indo-Pacific, the German government has spoken out in favor of perpetuating the initiative in all policy areas. The military policy kick-off in 2021 was the very successful voyage of the frigate “Bayern” to the region. Since then, the Bundeswehr has been represented every year. An “all-hands maneuver”, so to speak – the army, the air force and also the Cyber Information Space Command have already been present in the region. https://militaeraktuell.at/donaustahl-maus-drohnen-fuer-die-ukraine/ This year, the continued commitment in the Indo-Pacific is demonstrated by the renewed deployment of this maritime task force, with which we are also demonstrating the operational readiness and capabilities of the Bundeswehr. I was already able to follow the voyage of the “Bayern” as Commander of Task Flotilla 2. I was very moved by the very friendly reception, the great appreciation and the media response during our port calls, which the crew of the “Bayern” reported on. We are perceived as an honest broker but also as a reliable ally and I am personally more than convinced that our efforts will have the desired effect.
Click here to the other articles in our series “5 questions to” and here to further reports on the Bundeswehr.
