Big Foot et al:
Gents, before continuing to snipe at the Germans for their lack of combat in Afghanistan, let's remember that there are a lot of Bundeswehr soldiers there that would love to get into combat with the Taliban just as much as our troops are. I have a number of friends who are officers in the Bundesheer, all combat arms, who wish they were allowed to do night patrolling, take aggressive action and use their capabilites to bring the fight to the enemy. Military forces have to follow their government's orders; the Bundeswehr of all organziations remembers this all too well and its employment, sometimes down to tactical details, is VERY strictly controlled at very high levels.
Let's not forget the many places where our soldiers were hamstrung by orders and policies from higher (DESERT SHIELD/STORM, UNPROFOR, IFOR/SFOR, Op APOLLO to name a few) and not permitted to act as aggressively as other nations or take the lead in combat. Ask older 8th Hussars of the bitterness and disappointment engendered by the decision not to send them to DESERT STORM but relegate them to guarding Kasernes in Germany while VII Corps went to battle. Does anyone else here remember feeling the sting of shame after having to explain to UK or US allies overseas why the Canadian Forces were 'not allowed' to do things or go places that other countries were? When you have felt that shame, Big Foot, you will know better than to make comments like "they are not using what they have" - we were a country in that same boat until just recently. Reading your profile, it does not seem that your cynicism is based on any real experience.
There are threads on this site from people who served on Op ATHENA Roto 2 decrying the Germans and their lack of professionalism, all of which are true of the unit and individuals in that time and place. I'm not so sure that all Canadian soldiers are paragons of virtue, professionalism and soldierly skills such that we can look down our nose at others and paint an entire military force with the same brush- you can find good and bad everywhere. In addition, I do believe that at a strategic level, Germany fulfils its part of NATO's collective security requirements in terms of acquiring and maintaining first-line, modern equipment, forces and funds allocated in sufficient quantity far more than Canada does.
In terms of "making a buck", coutries need to keep defence industry viable - look at the decline of Canada's shipbuilding industry and the "JSS issues" discussed elsewhere here as an illustration of this need. In addition, let's remember the follow-on industrial benefits that accrue to the civilian sector by having an effective and modern defence capability. Expanding view outwards from just defence into second and third order industrial effects will let you see that R&D for armoured vehicles worth is a little more than "making a buck".
I do not see the Bundeswehr, US Army, USMC, IDF, UK Army, RN, ADF, RAF, JSDF or any other military force as the be-all and end-all of military forces - all have strengths and weaknesses. However I do see a trend creeping into many posts demonstrating a lack of objectivity and maintaining a view that the Canadian Forces has suddenly become far superior to others on all levels based on recent accomplishments in Afghanistan. While there is no doubting the skills, efforts, sacrifices and combat effectiveness of our soldiers there it does not give us carte-blanche to adopt a collective sense of moral superiority.
