On September 28, three German fighter jets passed through the Eurasian continent and flew to Japan, and conducted a three-day "joint training" with Japan Air Self-Defense Force . This is the first time that Germany and Japan have conducted military exercises in Japanese airspace in history. German Ministry of Defense Minister Rambrecht said in an interview: "This is just the beginning."
After World War II , Germany was divided into pieces by the United States, Britain, France and the Soviet Union as a defeated country. In May 1949, the occupied areas of the United States, Britain and France merged to establish the Federal Republic of Germany and the Soviet Union in response to establish a democratic Germany. Since then, Germany has been divided into two countries. After the Cold War began, Federal German and Democratic Germany suddenly became the frontier positions for the confrontation between capitalist camp and socialist camp , and even put the " Yalta Agreement " that re-established the order after World War II , and the United States and the Soviet Union supported East and West Germany to re-establish their own armed forces.
In November 1955, with the support of the United States, the Federal Republic of Germany ( West Germany ) established the National Defense Forces , and then the Federal Republic of Germany introduced the national compulsory military service system. According to relevant information, the Federal Republic of Germany had a maximum force of more than 470,000 people, more than 4,800 tank , and more than 6,300 armored vehicles . It also has more than 1,000 military aircraft of various styles, and even has tactical missiles configured by the United States. The military strength can be seen.
And East Germany also established the East German People's Army in March 1956 with the support of the Soviet Union. Although East Germany's economic strength is not as strong as West Germany, its military strength should not be underestimated with the support of the Soviet Union, the country with the strongest industrial strength in the world at that time. According to data, the total number of troops in the East German People's Army at its peak was as high as 200,000, 2,400 tanks, more than 7,600 armored vehicles, more than 5,000 artillery , and more than 200 military aircraft.
It was not until after Germany completed its unification in 1990 that the East German People's Army and the West German Defense Force were officially formed into German Defense Force .
To this day, Germany's military strength is among the best within the NATO and EU frameworks. Especially after the new Prime Minister Schultz took office, he once said at the annual meeting of the German Federal Defense Forces that, as the country with the largest population and strongest economic strength in Europe, Germany has already taken the responsibility of taking on the security leadership of the European continent.
In order to realize Schultz's "ambition", the German government approved a special defense fund of up to 100 billion euros in June 2022 to build the German army into Europe's "most well-equipped armed force". Slogans alone and without practical actions cannot prove the "determination" of this "most well-equipped armed force". So Germany turned its attention to Japan, which was also a defeated country in World War II.
According to sources, the joint aerial training conducted by Japan and Germany this time is part of the German "Speed Pacific 2022" air joint military exercise. The military exercise kicked off with 13 fighter jets arriving at Singapore within 24 hours on August 15. Germany undoubtedly used this move to show its air power. This is also the first time that Germany has sent fighter jets to the Indo-Pacific region after World War II.
The German side said that the purpose of sending three fighter jets to Japan for "joint training" is to promote mutual understanding between the German and Japanese armies and improve tactical skills. It also stated that the scope of training between the two sides is limited to formation and navigation.
Regarding the real purpose of this "joint training" between Germany and Japan, relevant people believe that although the subjects practiced by both sides are simple, they can improve Germany's joint air combat capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region, and at the same time, they can also take this opportunity to help Germany integrate into the combat command system of its allies in the Asia-Pacific region.
German Defense Minister Rambrecht once said: "International security is about everyone, and no country can stand by. We know that European-Atlantic security and Indo-Pacific security are interconnected, which is why we want to help and maintain peace and stability in this important region."
As soon as this statement was released, it was immediately opposed by critics, whose views believed that the direct security threat posed by China and North Korea to Germany is small or none. Rambrecht believes: "Given the economic and geopolitical importance of the Indo-Pacific region to Germany and even Europe as a whole, any conflict that occurs there will have a huge impact on Germany in many ways. "She even put forward the view that Japan plays an "extremely important role" in maintaining security in the Indo-Pacific region.
And the exchanges between the German and Japanese troops, domestic experts said: Germany and Japan have three considerations in the recent intensification of cooperation and exchanges: First, Germany is an important member of NATO and the country with the strongest military strength in Europe. Japan hopes to win over NATO and NATO member states through military cooperation with Germany and participate in East Asian affairs to restrict China. Secondly, Germany is currently willing to take this opportunity to expand its strength and tentacles to East Asia and the Indo-Pacific region to expand its international influence.
In addition, what is more important is that although Germany The two countries and Japan did not express it clearly on the surface, but in fact they both exist more or less. The two countries hope to restrict China in the Taiwan Strait through military exchanges. Previously, when the People's Liberation Army held a joint military exercise in the waters of Taiwan, Germany once issued a statement with the G7 countries to make the so-called "condemnation" to this. In fact, Germany's real purpose can be seen from this. Then the German Foreign Minister Bellbock also made a statement on United Nations : "If China intends to use military means to resolve the Taiwan issue, Germany will also send troops." In addition, Japan, which has been pointing fingers at the Taiwan issue for decades, the purpose of the so-called "joint training" and "military exchange" between Germany and Japan is self-evident.
