For The First Time Since World War 2, Germany’s Military Is Authorized To Deploy Armed Troops On The Street
Samuel Blackstone
BusinessInsider.com
Aug. 17, 2012
At the end of World War II, Germany’s military was reduced to almost nothing. Surviving in only a purely defensive role, German troops could not be deployed with guns on German soil. Now that has changed, albeit to a very small degree.
Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court has ruled that the German military will be allowed to use its weapons on German streets in extreme situations. The caveat: this applies only if Germany is being assaulted in an event of “catastrophic proportions”, reports the BBC.
The decision to deploy the troops must be made by the federal government and public demonstrations do not apply. In the minds of the judges during this decision was the possibility of a large scale public terrorist attack with the capability of inflicting mass casualties. The decision does nothing to change a 2006 ruling that prohibited shooting down a hijacked plane, saying it would go against the right of life of the passengers and crew, reports UKPA.
Germany’s military restrictions, which allow them to only provide fire if attacked, have been gradually relaxed, as they take a larger militaristic role in NATO operations abroad.
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