Easy Going for Guttenberg in Washington

Germany’s new defense minister knows many of his American contacts from his days in the Foreign Ministry.

Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg found it easy going on his first official trip to Washington as Germany’s new Minister of Defense; he already knows many of the people he deals with there from his days in the German Foreign Ministry and his work with security policy. He is especially close to the United States. Secretary of Defense Roberts Gates referred to him as America’s “great friend” as he welcomed him to Washington on Thursday, adding that Guttenberg’s voice on security matters was highly respected.

This is Guttenberg’s first visit to the U.S. as Germany’s defense minister, but he often had occasion to discuss Afghanistan’s future with Gates during the annual Munich security conference. Reporters interviewed him outside the Pentagon, where he answered questions in fluent English as well as in German and did not restrict himself to his meeting with Gates.

He considers the office of defense minister as an extension of Germany’s foreign policy. He met with U.S. National Security Advisor James Jones and later with Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg. As with most of the visits scheduled during his trip, this one lasted longer than planned. In order to hear other views, he also conferred with Senator John McCain by telephone.

In between, he did a quick presentation to the Center for Strategic and International Studies – in English, of course. A similar stop is planned on his return home when he will give an address at the security conference scheduled to be held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where Defense Secretary Gates is also expected.

The overriding theme during Guttenberg’s visit has been Afghanistan, and he remains firm. Despite constant reminders from Secretary Gates that the United States needs help there, Guttenberg made no promises. He wants to wait for the outcome of the January Afghanistan Conference, proposed originally by Germany. It’s already known that in keeping with his CSU (Christian Socialist Union) background, he doesn’t favor militarizing Germany’s foreign policy. In Washington, he again emphasized the importance of civilian redevelopment in Afghanistan, as well as the fact that President Karzai’s government had to take a more active role in it. The Foreign Ministry has very fluid boundaries.

Since his appointment to office Guttenberg has made several things clear: no immediate increase of German troops in Afghanistan, no waiting until the cows come home to set a withdrawal date from the country and he welcomes the deployment of U.S. Special Forces to Germany’s area of responsibility in the north as necessary for stabilization of the region. One might conclude he is laying the groundwork for the gradual withdrawal of German troops from Afghanistan. At any rate, even politicians on Germany’s left – who have favored withdrawal for years – suspect Guttenberg will go down in history as the defense minister who brought the troops home.