New headquarters for special forces
Bundeswehr cooperates more closely with NATO partners
05.12.2022, 08:19 am
Special forces such as helicopter squadrons or combat swimmers from several NATO countries are now coordinated from Germany. It is not only the different perspectives that add value, as the responsible director of the Bundeswehr reports.
The Bundeswehr is expanding the cooperation between its special forces and NATO allies. In Germany, a center for the management of special forces from several countries was set up, called “Special Operations Component Command” (SOCC), said Flotilla Admiral Stephan Plath. 16 nations took part in a first exercise. Plath, a trained combat swimmer, has been Director of Special Forces in the Bundeswehr Operations Command in Schwielowsee near Potsdam since October last year.
The new command post is intended to strengthen national and alliance defense capabilities and is therefore one of the steps that have been considered politically more important since Russia’s attack on Ukraine. “In the last few months we have further intensified the cooperation with our multinational partners. This begins with the joint analysis of threat situations and includes in particular joint reconnaissance,” said Plath. The insights gained through this collaboration resulted in a solid information base and could be very useful for decision-making.
“The Special Operations Component Command is particularly characterized by the bringing together of special forces from different nations,” says Plath. Different perspectives, approaches “and each individual’s own cultural socialization” represented immense added value for the joint fulfillment of the mission. It is intended to support command forces worldwide.
The capabilities of the commando forces include hostage rescues and evacuations abroad as well as military reconnaissance operations, but also arrests or the destruction of high-value targets that are politically more sensitive. “Special forces of the Bundeswehr can, among other things, always be deployed when it is necessary to open up fields of action in an unclear situation through targeted and reliable information,” said Plath. The forces are able to adapt to an individual deployment scenario. “We will continue to expand this adaptability in the future in order to be able to make it clear to decision-makers when and where which forms of the threat can arise and what possible solutions are conceivable.”