The Quest for Relevant Air Power

GERMAN Air Force │ 179
craft. 174 A deployment of combat troops was ruled out on the
grounds of Germany’s historical legacy. Moreover, nationally imposed
rules of engagement provided a very narrow margin for
German aircraft to operate in. Their employment was restricted to
supporting defensive actions of the multinational RRF, which had
only recently been inserted to protect UNPROFOR’s potential
withdrawal. As a consequence, German Tornado aircraft were not
entitled to directly participate in UN mandated air campaigns
such as Deny Flight. 175
At the request of the RRF, GAF Tornados flew their first reconnaissance
mission against the backdrop of Operation Deliberate
Force on 1 September 1995. Approval by the German MOD was a
prerequisite. 176 While the alliance could not directly draw upon
German SEAD aircraft for Operation Deliberate Force, it was argued
that the mere presence of German Tornado ECR aircraft inhibited
hostile SAM activity. 177
Up to this moment, German Tornado crews had not been exposed
to real operations. Yet, this lack of experience was effectively
compensated for by GAF participation in integrated exercises
such as Red Flag or Maple Flag. The deployed Tornados were
also specifically optimised for operations over the Balkans,
which—despite German political caveats—provided the GAF
with leverage amongst its allies. 178 Moreover, officers of the former
East German Air Force provided a unique insight into Soviet procedures
that the Bosnian Serb SAM crews employed. 179
Subsequent to the air campaign, the German Tornado contingent
was put at the disposal of the Implementation Force (IFOR)
with the particular purpose of surveying SAM activity as well as
the disentanglement of hostile troops. Alongside the Tornado aircraft,
the GAF provided 12 C-160 Transalls. 180
Events in the Balkans, particularly the massacre of Srebrenica,
proved to have a considerable impact upon German public opinion
and the political decision-making process in the medium
term. The slogan “never war again from German soil” was replaced
by the slogan “never Auschwitz again, never Srebrenica
again.” Accordingly, public support for German participation in
IFOR was robust. However, this shift in public opinion did not yet
embrace classical combat operations. 181