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| Afghanistan |
| Troops' beer allowance a headache for Germans |
| 2008-11-14 |
| According to military sources, around 1m litres (1.8m pints) of beer were shipped to German troops stationed in Afghanistan last year, as well as almost 70,000 litres of wine and sekt, a German sparkling wine. The admission has shocked a country that has never had much time for the Afghan mission. Newspaper reports under headlines such as Drink for the Fatherland and Bundeswehr Boozers have suggested that alcohol is the only way of keeping soldiers onside at a time when it is becoming ever harder to recruit them. The figures suggest that the 3,600 German soldiers based in Afghanistan as part of Nato's ISAF reconstruction mission, are each consuming around 278 litres of beer a year each, about 490 pints, as well as 128 standard measures of wine. The figures are set to rise by around 10% this year as troop numbers also increase. US troops face an alcohol ban when on mission while British and other armies are allowed to drink moderately when not on duty. This discrepancy led to the claim made at a Nato conference on Afghanistan that "some drink beer while others risk their lives." Out of respect for TGA, wherever he is, and the two dozen or so German soldiers who have died in Afghanistan, I'm going to bite my tongue here. But somebody remind me again why we're in NATO. |
| Posted by:Matt |
| #1 On the positive side, all that alcohol must make the jihadis' seething heads explode. Does the Bundeswehr also get a girly mag ration? |
| Posted by: ed 2008-11-14 23:24 |