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Concerns mount about Germany’s F-35 jet purchase plan

Germany's defence ministry has raised serious concerns about the planned purchase of US-made F-35 fighter jets, part of the country's military modernisation drive, according to documents seen by AFP.

An F35 jet on display at the Farnborough Airshow
An F35 jet on display at the Farnborough Airshow, in Farnborough, on July 18, 2022. Germany's defence ministry has raised concerns about the purchase of these planes from the US. Photo: JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP

Berlin announced in March it would buy 35 of the warplanes made by Lockheed Martin to replace its ageing Tornado fleet, in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

But the defence ministry has raised concerns about “delays and additional costs” in the nearly 10 billion euro ($10.5 billion) purchase, according to a classified letter to parliament’s budget committee.

Risk factors range from upgrading work needed at air fields that will host the F-35s, to security requirements, and potential problems with approval for flight operations in Germany, it said.

A defence ministry spokesman said there would “close cooperation” and “clarification” of issues with parliament.

There will be an emergency meeting Monday at the defence ministry, which will be attended by budget committee members from the three parties in Germany’s ruling coalition, parliamentary sources told AFP.

The committee is supposed to release the first tranche of funds for the project on December 14.

The document seen by AFP was prepared by the finance ministry for the committee, and was based on assessments from the defence ministry.

According to the document, it is doubtful whether the necessary upgrades to Buechel air base, which will host the jets, can be completed by 2026, when delivery is set to begin.

The current timeframe is “highly ambitious”, it said. In addition, the security requirements from the US side are complex, which could lead to further delays and cost increases, it said.

There is also a danger that approvals for flight operations for the F-35s in Germany cannot be secured on time as necessary documents are not available, it said.

This would mean that flights could only be operated with restrictions, said the document.

It pointed to other factors that could lead to cost increases, including inflation, fluctuations in the exchange rate between the dollar and the euro, and rising production costs.

The cost of the jets is to come from a planned 100 billion euro investment in the armed forces, unveiled following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in a bid to overhaul Germany’s underfunded military.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz said last week that he wants the contract for the F-35s, considered the world’s most modern combat aircraft, finalised by the end of this year.

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GERMAN CITIZENSHIP

German conservatives vow to overturn dual citizenship if re-elected

Foreigners in Germany are waiting on tenterhooks for the introduction of the new dual nationality law on Thursday - but the centre-right CDU and CSU say they would overturn the reform if re-elected next year.

German conservatives vow to overturn dual citizenship if re-elected

“The CDU and CSU will reverse this unsuccessful reform,” Alexander Throm (CDU), spokesperson on domestic policy for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, told DPA on Tuesday.

“Dual citizenship must remain the exception and be limited to countries that share our values.”

Throm also criticised the new citizenship law for reducing the amount of time foreigners need to live in the country before naturalising as Germans, describing the new residence requirements as “far too short”.

“After five or even three years, it is not yet possible to determine with certainty whether integration has been successful in the long term,” he stated.

“The recent caliphate demonstrations and the rampant Islamist extremism, often by people with German passports, must be a wake-up call for us all.”

READ ALSO: Which foreign residents are likely to become German after citizenship law change?

Despite vociferous opposition, the alliance between the Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian sister party (CSU) was powerless to stop the traffic-light coalition’s citizenship reform passing in both the Bundestag and Bundesrat earlier this year. 

The reform, which permits the holding of multiple passports, lowers residence requirements and removes language hurdles for certain groups, is set to come into force on June 27th. 

But with the CDU and CSU emerging as clear winners in the recent EU parliamentary elections and regularly landing on 30 percent or above in the polls, it’s possible that the party could be on course to re-enter government next year. 

In this situation, the centre-right parties have pledged to try and undo what senior CDU politicians have described as a “dangerous” reform.

“It is not unusual for successive governments to reverse decisions made by the previous government,” Andrea Lindholz, the head of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group said in a recent response to a question

“We will maintain our position on this and will continue to strive for a corresponding change.”

READ ALSO: What are citizenship offices around Germany doing to prepare for the new law?

Whether the CDU and CSU can secure enough votes at both state and federal elections to change the law in the future remains to be seen.

The parties may also have to compromise on their plans with any future coalition partner, such as the Greens, Social Democrats (SPD) or Free Democrats (FDP), all of whom support liberal immigration laws and the holding of multiple nationalities. 

‘Citizenship devaluation law’

The CDU and CSU parties, which form a centre-right alliance nicknamed the Union, have long been opposed to dual nationality in Germany.

During their years of governing in a so-called grand coalition with the centre-right Social Democrats (SPD), the parties had regularly made reforms of citizenship one of their red lines, citing the danger of hostile nations influencing Germany from within. 

In a recent parliamentary speech back in January, Throm had slammed the bill as a “citizenship devaluation law” and accused the government of trying to generate a new electorate to win votes.

CDU politician Alexander Throm speaks in a debate in the German Bundestag

CDU politician Alexander Throm speaks in a debate in the German Bundestag. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Christoph Soeder

In comments aimed primarily at Germany’s large Turkish diaspora, the CDU politician claimed that people who had lived in Germany for decades but not taken German citizenship had already chosen their old country over Germany.

The majority of Turks in Germany are also supporters of the authoritarian president Recep Erdogan, he argued.

Responding to the claims, FDP migration expert Ann-Veruschka Jurisch said the opposition was fuelling resentments against migrants by claiming the government was “squandering German citizenship”.

In fact, she argued, the reform has tightened up requirements by ensuring that people who claim benefits and cannot support themselves are unable to become German citizens.

READ ALSO: What you need to know about Germany’s citizenship law reform

In addition, the B1 language requirements have only been softened in a few exceptional cases, for example to honour the lifetime achievements of the guest worker generation who had few opportunities when they arrived, Jurisch said. 

If foreigners have committed crimes, the authorities will be able to investigate whether these involved racist or anti-Semitic motives before citizenship is granted, she added. 

With reporting by DPA

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