Phase 1: First Steps in International Crisis-Response

Despite their lasting significance, little attention has been paid by scholars to the navy’s missions in the first decade after 1990. Südflanke (1991), Sharp Guard (1992–1996) and Southern Cross (1994) had lasting consequences for the navy’s role in foreign policy, led to substantial changes in the perception of its utility and influenced its practical value. Several authors have dealt with German foreign policy in the 1990s—including identifying ‘out-of-area’-deployments of the Bundeswehr as one of its key novelties, but have not considered the navy.