From defpro.com: In another chapter of German involvement in Afghanistan, the Federal Parliament today voted the deployment of German soldiers to serve aboard NATO AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) surveillance aircraft in order to provide air space control over Afghanistan . . .

The path has now been cleared for the largest contributing nation to the NATO AWACS programme to participate in this important mission . . .

NATO’s request to the participating Nations in the Alliance’s AWACS programme is quite old: it was issued in July 2008 and envisaged an initial limitation of one year. The Noth Atlantic Council decided on June 12, 2009 to deploy up to four aircraft to Konya, Turkey, from where they will regularly fly the approx. 3000 kilometres to Afghanistan. Today’s German Parliament decision allows for the deployment of 300 German soldiers to participate in the mission until December 13, 2009. (photo: defpro.com)