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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • No biting, Barney; you don't know where that reporter's been 11/16/08   CONTACT THE HERALD Do you have a news tip? newstips@heraldnet.com | 425.339.3400   Published: Sunday, November 16, 2008 Germans worry about soldiers' beer consumption Their soldiers have been supplied with 26 ounces of beer per day while serving in Afghanistan. The Washington Post BERLIN -- Germany has been reluctant to send its soldiers to Afghanistan. Not so its beer. Last year, the German armed forces shipped more than 260,000 gallons of home-brewed suds to its troops serving in northern Afghanistan, as well as more than 18,000 gallons of wine. On a per-soldier basis, that was the equivalent of a ration of 26 ounces of beer a day, all year long. The revelation, made Wednesday in a report to Parliament, caused a stir in the German press, already deeply skeptical of the country's commitment to the war in Afghanistan. About 3,500 troops are based there, but surveys show that a majority of the population is strongly opposed to the mission. "Boozers in the Bundeswehr?" asked a headline in the Stuttgarter Nachrichten, using the German term for the federal armed forces. "High Proof Assignment," chortled Die Welt, a national paper. Government officials tried to put the issue in perspective. Defense Ministry spokesman Thomas Raabe said German soldiers were limited to two cans of beer a day and were not supposed to drink while on duty. Raabe also said the alcohol was available for purchase by soldiers, diplomats and police officers from other NATO countries operating in Afghanistan, though he didn't specify how often they dipped into the German supply chain. Not everyone was convinced. "Alcohol obviously plays an alarming role in the Bundeswehr camps," Elke Hoff, a defense expert and legislator from the opposition Free Democratic Party, told Bild, a tabloid paper. "Does alcohol fill the void left by a lack of recreational activities? What are the officers doing?" Reinhold Robbe, a German legislator who serves as the parliamentary commissioner for the armed forces, said it was "careless" to assume that German soldiers are lushes based solely on the amount of alcohol shipped to Afghanistan. But he did express concern that perhaps the troops were doing too much sitting around. The Defense Ministry, he suggested, ought to offer its troops "an alternative to beer drinking, such as sports and cultural activities." Worries about the fitness of German troops are not new. In March, an armed forces report found that more than 40 percent of soldiers ages 18 to 29 were overweight -- compared with 35 percent of German civilians of the same age. About 70 percent of the soldiers were heavy smokers. Nearly one in 10 was described as clinically obese. The March report concluded that the rank and file quaffed too much beer and ate too many sausages, while avoiding fruit and vegetables. It also blamed a stifling military bureaucracy for contributing to soldiers' "passive lifestyle." "The disclosures are alarming," Robbe said at the time. "Plainly put, the soldiers are too fat, exercise too little and take little care of their diet." In the meantime, the flow of German booze to Afghanistan shows no sign of slowing down. During the first six months of 2008, the Bundeswehr shipped more than 135,000 gallons of beer to Afghanistan, a 3.5 percent increase over the same period the year before. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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