Posted on 11/19/2012 3:06:00 PM PST by DeaconBenjamin
German soldiers and missiles seem likely to be posted to Turkeys border with Syria soon. One report suggested the government was checking the legality of such a posting, ahead of a Turkish request expected on Monday.
The Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper reported on Saturday that government officials were discussing whether a parliamentary mandate would be needed to send the 170 soldiers which would be needed to staff two Patriot missile units as part of a NATO mission.
The Turkish government said ten days ago it wanted the air defence missiles for its border with Syria, where rockets from the civil-war-wracked country have killed several civilians.
As a NATO member, Turkey can call upon other members to help defend its borders and is expected to do so on Monday.
Only three NATO countries the US, Netherlands and Germany - have the most advanced Patriot models, the PAC-3, which can be used against planes as well as rockets, the paper said.
And the German government is convinced it should contribute to such a NATO operation Defence Minister Thomas de Maizière said as much on Thursday after a meeting with French, Polish, Italian and Spanish colleagues, the Süddeutsche Zeitung reported.
De Maizière stressed such an operation would only be to defend Turkey, and that German forces would not take any part in the Syrian civil war.
Initially, because the shift of rockets and soldiers would be within the NATO area, no parliamentary mandate would be needed to move them to Turkey, the paper said. But should the soldiers be in danger of becoming involved in fighting, such a mandate would be necessary and the opposition could demand that in advance.
It remained unclear on Friday how many troops NATO would consider moving to Turkey. Germanys airforce has 24 deployable units, each requiring 85 soldiers. A certain, secret, number of these are registered as ready for action as part of the NATO Response Force, and could be deployed within ten days of an order being given, the paper said.
Turkey's border with Syria has been the site of missile strikes and fighting linked to the Syrian civil war. The government has accepted hundreds of thousands of Syrian civil war refugees, but is having difficulty providing for them and has already asked Germany and other countries for help.
It’s getting that time of the century for Germans to get itchy again.
Germans defendingTurks? I will believe it when I see it. They are culturally... Unfriendly to each other, prat least during my four years there way back when it was West Germany.
Germany has been invaded by trouble-causing Turks for DECADES and now the insult is to require German boys to go over there PROTECT Turkey, thereby adding to this stupid imbroglio...?
RIDICULOUS....
Most countries have an army. In Germany, an army has a country.
The idea of a European Union soldier actually firing his weapon without fear of a lawsuit and trial in The Hague is downright laughable.
They were allies during the “Great War.” So, there is precedent.
Yep, and the Turks will change their import laws so they can confiscate this major end item. Anything in the country for over 180 days automatically becomes Turkish property. Back in '91, the Turks changed that to 90 days in an effort to confiscate a Patriot battery at Incirlik Air Base during GW1.
In the words of a young Turk: If you are not a Turk, you are the infidel, and the infidel has no right to property.
They could name it the Liman von Sanders Brigade.
Unknown to many, Incirlik is a joint US/Turkish air base.
After GW1, the Turks decided that they wanted a Patriot system, so they conveniently changed the law. We sequestered the entire battalion of equipment on the base behind wire and armed guards. One evening, the battery personnel arrived, checked their equipment, and drove down to Iskenderun Port and onto a Ro-Ro transport. The equipment was gone for three days before the Turks noticed. They threw a fit, but we told them that we didn't see a thing.
When I was there in the early 90's, supporting Operation Provide Comfort, there were many restrictions on what could be brought into the country, and how long it could stay there. For major end items, it was 180 days. We were briefed that all Air Force aircraft were rotated out and replaced before day 179.
Back then, all cargo aircraft were required to have a Turkish officer aboard to ensure we weren't "arming the Kurds".
That having been said, I read in the article where the Turks aren't allowing them to depart the country. They just may be trying to pull the same stunt again. I have no doubt that a contingency operation may be pulled off to recover those weapons if they are in danger of being confiscated by the Turks. (I hope). The Turks are not our friends.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.