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Germany's Deputy Defense Secretary Tours NPS
U.S. Navy photo by PO1 Lewis Hunsaker

Germany's Deputy Defense Secretary Tours NPS

By PO1 Lewis Hunsaker

Dr. Ralf Brauksiepe, German Parliamentary State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Defense, talks to NPS students about trans-Atlantic relations from a European perspective during a visit to campus, Oct. 13.

“It’s a pleasure for me to be here at NPS,” said Brauksiepe. “The main reason we are here is to see institutions, such as this one, where the U.S. works together with the German military.”

Brauksiepe focused much of his discussion on current challenges faced by Germany’s Ministry of Defense … issues that are shared among his European allies, but are not without resolution.

“The refugee crisis was, in large extent, created by us not being able to secure our borders, but we have the capabilities to overcome these crises, and we are working to address these concerns,” said Brauksiepe.

“Additional recent problems that concern Germany are ongoing fighting in Ukraine and Syria, both in part due to the Russian government … with a new Russian aggressive posture towards Western Europe,” he continued. “We also have a terrorist belt starting in Western Africa and extending to Libya, Somalia, Syria and on to Afghanistan.”

Brauksiepe explained Germany’s ‘360-degree approach’ to these issues, and stressed the importance of Europe’s ability to proactively resolve them, in partnership with each other and with the United States.

“It should be our common goal, and be of trans-Atlantic interest, to be aware of both of these challenges. We need more effectiveness and coordination in regards to our military capabilities,” said Brauksiepe. “It’s my strong conviction that if we Europeans want to keep Americans interested in Europe, then we have to be interested in our own security affairs and not just rely on the U.S. Each country does a lot for itself, but it must be in a more coordinated way.”

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October 2016

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