Regardless of the conflicts the VJTF was created to take part in, the real battle it is engaged in is the "war on bureaucracy." This is the main challenge German soldiers in the VJTF have to tackle, Tagesschau pointed out, citing a classified internal memo authored by the German Defense Ministry's parliamentary secretary, Markus Grübel.
Take transportation for instance. German soldiers have to comply with certain rules to get ammunition and military equipment to a certain place. These, according to Tagesschau, include the limits on the time they are allowed to sit behind the wheel, a ban on such activities on Sundays and holidays, as well as special permits from the relevant road authorities to transport weapons and lead convoys.
One might think that switching to railway services and air transport could be a solution but it is not. German soldiers in the VJTF have enough cars to move only a limited amount of hardware. Yet the true obstacle they face is the need to adjust their schedule to the civilian train service timetable. It could take up to 30 days, the media outlet noted.
Air link could have offered the much needed mobility but Germany's armed forces known as the Bundeswehr, said they lack suitable aircraft. "NATO has an array of transport planes but one has to compete with the wishes of many nations [to use them]," Tagesschau cited Germany's defense agency as saying.
The VJTF, dubbed the "Spearhead Force," was established in 2014 to enhance the existing 40,000-strong NATO Response Force (NRF) in response to the non-existent Russian threat and Moscow's alleged meddling in Ukraine. Numbering approximately 5,000 troops, it is meant to be deployed within two to three days to address emerging security challenges.
Air assault operations during Exercise Noble Jump-->Dutch & US soldiers test #NATO's Spearhead Force aka VJTF. pic.twitter.com/X5zlURUTtW
— US Mission to NATO (@USNATO) 19 июня 2015
Many experts say the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force was created to intimidate Russia.
