The German military is planning a series of deployments to the Pacific this summer, and it is looking at possibly setting up a permanent military liaison position in Hawaii at U.S. Indo-Pacific Command as it refines its regional strategy.
The German military is planning a series of deployments to the Pacific this summer, and is looking at possibly setting up a permanent military liaison position in Hawaii at U.S. Indo-Pacific Command as it refines its regional strategy.
For some time, Germany has been testing the waters for a return to the Pacific, deploying the Navy frigate FGS Bayern to the South China Sea in 2021 and sending small detachments of personnel to participate in exercises around the region. But this year the German Navy and Air Force will make their way to Hawaii for the biennial Rim of the Pacific Exercise, the world's largest naval war game.
“Before we send people and forces into the region, we knew we needed knowledge of the region,” said German navy chief Vice Adm. Jan Christian Kaack. “We are building up liaison offices in Japan at (U.S. Navy ) 7th Fleet and here at INDOPACOM (U.S. Indo-Pacific command ). … Some are temporary, just for the deployment, and some will stay.”
German military officials had been quietly flying in and out of Honolulu in 2023 holding meetings with top U.S. military leaders, according to officials knowledgeable about the planning process. But since the new year German officials have…
