Image copyright
German Army / KSK
The elite KSK has the job of carrying out complex operations abroad, such as hostage rescues
Germany’s defense minister says she ordered the partial dissolution of the elite KSK command force, which has come under increasing criticism for right-wing extremism in its ranks.
Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer told a newspaper that she had become an independent part of the chain of command.
In May, the police seized explosives and weapons at the home of a KSK soldier.
In January, military intelligence said there were nearly 600 suspected far-right supporters in the military last year.
They also said that the KSK (Special Forces Command) was seen as a particular problem, with 20 members of the elite force suspected of right-wing extremism.
The KSK had “become partially independent” from the chain of command, with a “toxic leadership culture,” Kramp-Karrenbauer told the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper.
The minister established a working group in May to examine the problem, and the group presented a report on its findings on Tuesday.
The KSK “cannot continue to exist in its current form” and must “better integrate into the Bundeswehr [German army]”The report said, seen by the AFP news agency.
- The extreme right caused an earthquake in German politics
- German military order to hunt Nazi material
One of the four companies in the force, where extremism is said to be the most popular, will dissolve and not be replaced, the minister said.
“Anyone who turns out to be a right-wing extremist has no place in the Bundeswehr and must leave,” he told German radio.
KSK operations will be transferred to other units as far as possible, and will not participate in international exercises and missions until further notice.
Ms. Kramp-Karrenbauer said the latest findings, including the disappearance of 48,000 rounds of ammunition and 62 kg (137 lb) of explosives, were “disturbing” and “alarming.”
An internal investigation must be conducted to determine if those items were stolen or missing due to sloppy accounting.
The unit was founded in 1996 and has some 1,000 soldiers trained for crisis situations, such as the release of hostages abroad, which had not been possible until then without the help of forces from other countries.
Image copyright
EPA
Nazi souvenirs were found in two military barracks in 2017
The military’s problem with far-right supporters emerged in 2017.
Inspections were ordered at all military barracks when memories of the Nazi era were found in two of them. Many of those suspected of far-right ties are believed to be sympathetic to the main German opposition party AfD.
You may also be interested in:
Media playback is not supported on your device
