The World HandCOV’d: COVID-19: Implications for Germany’s Security and Defense Policy
The paper is part of the project The World HandCOV’d: Assessing longer-term implications of the pandemic disruption for international security
Key takeaways:
- The Bundeswehr needs to be structurally involved — going beyond administrative assistance — in the fight against future pandemics and accordingly empowered and (financially) equipped.
- The structures and capabilities of the Bundeswehr should become more flexible so that the Bundeswehr is able to ensure national and alliance defense and homeland security, as well as execute dedicated foreign deployments and training missions at the same time.
- Health must be considered, much more than before, as an integral part of foreign and security policy. As part of the network-approach, experts who deal with pandemic prevention and biological hazards should also be on the National Security Council.
- Even if Europe is busy coping with the pandemic affecting its own countries, it must not neglect the support of the states in the neighborhood (and beyond). Implementing this and explaining it to the European population is an immensely challenging — but necessary — task for European decision-makers.
