Beer--It is how German troops cope with doing nothing in Afghanistan

Washington Post:

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.

"Back home there will be a new debate," commented the Ostsee Zeitung. "The question, 'Are we at war in Afghanistan?' will be replaced by, 'Do I get too much alcohol as a soldier?' "

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Jens Ploetner, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, said delegations of German officials visiting Afghanistan were also known to imbibe. "With traveling journalists, I have observed the same," he said, pointing the finger back at reporters.

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Alcohol is forbidden in Afghanistan for Muslims, but foreigners are allowed to buy it under certain conditions. The U.S. military prohibits its troops there from drinking.

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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."

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Oh come on. Let them do something really creative like go outside the FOB on patrols looking for the enemy. That is something they have certainly done little of as in none. This is probably the first German army in over a hundred years that has consumed more beers than bullets.