German Сooperation with Austria and Switzerland in Political-Military Sphere in the Modern Period

Abstract

In the XXI century Germany consistently tries to enlarge its role in the sphere of international security. The distinctive characteristic of this German policy is not only the usage of international structures` (the UN organization, NATO, the EU) potential, but also the development of two- and trilateral links with partner states. In this regard, the article considers the German relations with Austria and Switzerland in political-military sphere at the present stage. The paper notes that the scope of cooperation between Germany and these states has increasingly grown since 2016–2017. Concerning this, the author pays special attention to the D-A-CH format (Germany – Austria – Switzerland). Russian and Western researchers have taken little notice of this issue. The key research methods are an event-analysis and a comparative analysis. The methodology of the article is the theory of armed forces development. It was launched at the levels of defense ministers, general inspectors and the managers of structures responsible for military exports. The article also analyzes the character and the internal reasons of the temporary decline in the German-Austrian relations during the first half of 2018. The paper explores the character and the perspectives of practical cooperation between the armed forces of the German-speaking states triangle, including the cases of coordination under the UN organization. The article also considers the trilateral cooperation opportunities in the struggle with cyber challenges and in the sphere of armed forces building. Given their rapidly expanding armies, Switzerland and especially Austria are interested in the development of military, including military-technical, cooperation with Germany as a senior partner. Germany tries to play the part of the “frame nation” in the process of creating military groups under the aegis of the EU, NATO, the UN, with the participation of the two neutral German-speaking states.