The Contemporary German Navy as an Instrument of Foreign Policy

The Federal Republic and its Naval Deployments after the Cold War

Moritz Brake

• Publisher: Springer VS
• Year: 2024
• Print ISBN:
  9783658466251
• eBook ISBN:
  9783658466268
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Politics
• Index: Social Sciences

Since the Cold War and beyond the Zeitenwende, Germany has increasingly come to rely on its navy as an instrument of foreign policy. The German Navy supports comprehensive maritime security and ocean governance, and its missions not only reflect its own evolution, but also change within Germany. This is a marked shift for the 'continental power' Germany and forms a substantial component of its much broader 'maritime turn' in the 21st century. Changes in strategic context, new security challenges and Germany's evolving international role after reunification have altered the perception of the navy's utility. Its share in the Bundeswehr's personnel has grown and the navy has seen proportionally higher investment – or relatively less cuts owing to the post-Cold War 'peace dividend' – than either army or airforce. The author shows, that the navy has markedly changed and become increasingly useful for Germany's foreign policy – something which, in the stormy seas of geopolitical escalation of the Zeitenwende, has already paid dividends.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Front Matter
• 1. Introduction
• 2. Understanding Germany’s Use of the Navy in Foreign Policy
• 3. The State, Maritime Security and The Navy as an Instrument of Foreign Policy
• 4. Phase 1: First Steps in International Crisis-Response
• 5. Phase 2: The War on Terror: Becoming An Expeditionary Force for Good Order at Sea
• 6. Phase 3: Comprehensive Maritime Security and Ocean Governance
• 7. The Navy and Germany’s New Global Role
• 8. Concluding Remarks
• 9. Epilogue: The German Navy, Maritime Security and Zeitenwende
• Back Matter