Lieutenant General Pfeffer has been leading the Bundeswehr’s missions abroad for six years. He is about to retire – and has an expectation in the dispute over armed drones in operations like in Mali.
The commander of the Bundeswehr operations abroad, Lieutenant General Erich Pfeffer, has warned against not protecting the troops with armed drones.
Several aspects speak very clearly in favor of the armed drone, Pfeffer told the German press agency. “Basically, the troops themselves cannot understand this discussion because they do not understand why they are having such a hard time. If you think through the negative arguments about armed drones consistently, you would have to abolish significant parts of the armament in the armed forces. ” Pfeffer has been in command of the operational command on the outskirts of Potsdam since November 2015 and is retiring in a few weeks.
For foreign deployments of the Bundeswehr under explicit threat, such as long in Afghanistan or now in Mali, three elements are “absolutely imperative,” said Pfeffer. «The first is: clearing up ahead. Put simply, I have to make sure that the troops know what to expect when they move in the field. ” The best ability to do this with the least risk is the reconnaissance drone. “This will protect the troops from surprises,” said Pfeffer.
“The second thing I need: strong support in the event that the troops are defeated in battle,” demanded the officer. This could especially happen if the troops were involved in a battle unexpectedly or unplanned. “With the dimensions of the rooms in which we move and the type of terrain, this always means close-up air support. It’s the attack helicopter or the fighter plane or the armed drone, ”said Pfeffer.
The armed drone is the only means that is immediately available if necessary without delay. With all other means, the local troops expose themselves to a higher risk. Pfeffer: “Conversely, that means for me that if politicians are not ready to provide armed drones, then we automatically increase the risk for the troops.”
Combat helicopters would normally take 30 minutes to an hour to get to the scene. “That is how long the troops must be able to survive in combat. If I have an armed drone overhead, then this problem does not arise, ”said Pfeffer. Thirdly, it is important that there is a seamless chain of rescue from the scene of the incident to Germany.
The Bundeswehr is following with interest how the SPD, FDP and the Greens position themselves in the coalition negotiations on a possible joint federal government on the long controversial issue. In the previous federal government, the Union had advocated arming the future Heron TP drone. After a debate that had lasted for years, the SPD had announced the need for further discussion. The SPD defense politician Fritz Felgentreu, who had supported the armaments project, then resigned as the parliamentary group’s defense policy spokesman.
Source From: Stern
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