The Quest for Relevant Air Power

176 │ GERMAN Air Force
natural disasters. Planning and conduct of these operations were
assigned to a particular service, mostly the Air Force. 161 Germany
also supported the United Nations financially and logistically. In
1973, for instance, GAF units airlifted Nepalese troops to Lebanon.
Operations of a predominantly military nature, however,
were confined to NATO territory. Despite self-imposed restrictions
on the use of military force, international expectations for a
more solid German participation in international burden sharing
had grown since the Federal Republic’s accession to the UN in
1973. 162 In 1987, for the first time since the end of WWII, Germany
was asked by its allies to deploy naval units to the Persian
Gulf to protect international shipping. The Federal Republic, however,
was opposed to out-of-area actions for basically four reasons.
First, the German constitution was deemed not to provide a foundation
for this kind of operation. Second, there was widespread
concern that West German interventionism might cut off all
contacts with Eastern Europe. Third, it was UN Security Council
policy not to dispatch troops of divided countries such as Germany
and Korea, and, finally, Germany’s historical legacy exerted
enormous restraint internally upon any form of military action. 163
Thus, a policy of gradual steps was pursued in the post–Cold War
era, and the GAF became only incrementally involved in combat
operations.
German Contributions to Western Air Campaigns
In the midst of the reunification process, German decision
makers found themselves confronted with the occupation of Kuwait
and its broader international consequences. For constitutional
reasons, and more importantly because a German military
deployment to the Gulf could have provoked the Soviet Union to
put German reunification on hold, military participation in the
American-led coalition was ruled out. Furthermore, more than
two-thirds of the population was against any military involvement.
Germany’s contribution to the Gulf War finally turned out to be a
significant financial support. 164 Whilst the Federal Republic did
not get directly involved in Operation Desert Storm, it was asked
by NATO to support Turkey against potential Iraqi incursions.
Only after some hesitations did Germany finally agree to dispatch
18 Alpha Jets. The United States and Turkey were not pleased by