The formal commitment by the German MoD to send a frigate to the Indo-Pacific later this year is yet another indication of the desire of western powers to play a greater role in the region’s affairs and counter the bellicose maritime stance of China.
On 3 March, the German MoD confirmed that it would be sending a frigate, currently planned to be the Brandenburg-class frigate FGS Bayern (pictured in 2008), to the Indo-Pacific in August, which is expected to stay in the region until February 2022. This is however no snap decision, rather the product of a lengthy period of