There is growing resistance in the SPD to allow the Bundeswehr to use armed drones, albeit under strict guidelines. The youngsters of the party, the Jusos, spoke out against it by a large majority in an initiative motion at the federal congress at the weekend.
On Saturday, the SPD will vote on the coalition agreement of the future traffic light partners at a digital party conference. The SPD, the Greens and the FDP have agreed to provide the Bundeswehr with combat drones for their own protection. “During this legislative period,” the drones will be armed. The Jusos call on the SPD “as the strongest force in this alliance not only to speak out against the arming of drones, but also to actively prevent their acquisition”. So it is in the application that the Süddeutsche Zeitung is present.
With the approval of the coalition agreement, facts would be created in the SPD on the drone question. So far, the attitude of the party leadership has been that decisions about arming drones will only be made after a broad social debate. The top of the SPD had always stated that this detailed debate had never existed before, and that it had criticized all of the previous rounds of discussion as simply insufficient.
In October a project group in the SPD came to the recommendation that arming could be considered under strict guidelines, but this was only “noted” by the party leadership. The expected yes to the coalition agreement on Saturday would correspond to approval of the combat drones without the promised renewed debate.
“Arms race with weapons-grade drones”
The Jusos justify their rejection by stating that the SPD must oppose an “arms race with weapons-grade drones” that has already begun. The party threatens to lose its “peace policy credibility” if it approves the purchase. The argument that arming drones is unavoidable in view of the global armament with these weapons shows “pure pessimism for the future”.
Criticism has also come from other leftists in the SPD: Sebastian Roloff, spokesman for the DL 21 forum, told the SZ: “Armed combat drones continue to encounter major reservations in the SPD, the previous position is clearly negative.” He insists that first be debated “in party and society”. The discussion must now be held. The DL 21 forum is already collecting signatures against the armament on its website.