ABSTRACT
NATO has been confronted with a number of political and military game-changers that have demanded the most fundamental adjustment of its role and self-image since the end of the Cold War. In 2014 there was a turning point for Germany’s foreign and security policy and its role in the North Atlantic Alliance. Germany’s NATO and European Union allies could hardly believe that the country would suddenly adopt a fundamentally changed approach to foreign policy. Beginning in 2001, Germany became engaged in a dangerous combat operation in Afghanistan that required the purchase of specialised military equipment to enable counterinsurgency operations. Germany has traditionally adopted a much more restrictive approach on exporting military goods than most of its European allies, particularly France. Sweden supports the German Framework Nation Concept by contributing niche capabilities such as the maritime transport of helicopters and military intelligence in the context of Germany as lead nation.
