Now more than ever, the German Bundeswehr is required to be a part of the joint forces and to act in a wide spectrum of multinational operations. In September, the chapter held a symposium on the topic with more than 400 participants in Koblenz, Germany. The chapter joined with the Bundeswehr information technology office to discuss challenges for the command and control capability of military forces—both in theater and in the home country.
New operating environments demand high-performance information and communication systems. En route to network-enabled operations, the technical architecture of the Bundeswehr information technology system will, in the medium term, be subject to comprehensive modifications. Up-to-date system technology will provide for a significant contribution to operations. From an information technology perspective, the Bundeswehr has achieved the initial capability for network-enabled operations. Examples illustrating this are the deployment of the 1st Armoured Division in Afghanistan and the national implementation of the Afghan Mission Network by the Bundeswehr.
The keynote speakers included Maj. Gen. Georges D'hollander, Belgian Army (Ret.), general manager, NATO Consultation, Command and Control Agency; Lt. Gen. Dieter Naskrent, GEAF, commander, German Air Force Air Operations Command; Air Vice Marshal S. J. Hillier, RAF, director, information superiority, Ministry of Defence, London; and Maj. Gen. Wolf-Dietrich Kriesel, deputy commander, Bundeswehr Operations Command, Potsdam. The speakers concluded that mission-related information technology must combine both reliability and simple usability, no matter how complex the system architecture is. With further budget restrictions this will be a major challenge for future developments.
Participants at the Koblenz Symposium came from the Bundeswehr command authorities and agencies as well as members of the Federal Ministry of Defense and industry. Over the years, agencies and organizations with security relevant tasks, institutes, associations, representatives from NATO and Europe, universities and technical universities have joined the discussion. At the symposium, the chapter awarded young university graduates with its annual student's award for $21,635. |
