On 2nd August, the German frigate FGS Bayern (F 217) was dispatched to Indo pacific signalling the beginning of the country’s intent to contribute to NATO’s objective in the region.
German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer watched the Brandenburg class frigate go on a campaign on Monday. “We want the current laws to be respected, the sea lanes to be indefinitely navigable, open societies to be protected, and trade to be conducted according to fair rules,” she wrote on Twitter.
She noted that the presence of a German warship in the region is a sign of solidarity with “partners who share common values”, a sign of stability and a multilateral rule-based international order.
“We will be able to respect the right of way, we will be able to defend ourselves, we will be able to protect our companies and we will be able to handle the rules,” she wrote.
The Minister assured that the presence of German sailors in a region geographically far from Germany is not directed “against something or against someone.”
“It is a matter of resolving conflicts together peacefully and in partnership,” she said at the German naval base at Wilhelmshaven (Lower Saxony).
FGS Bayern, one of 4 in the the German Navy, consists of 232 sailors. The return to the base is scheduled for the end of February 2022.
